Chronicle
by Honey Mead
Summary: My name is Chronicle. I have been a scribe, an assistant, and a confidant to the Princess. I leave nothing behind me save for my notes, documents, and records. All stored and surrounded by thousands of others in a vault beneath the castle. So here I sit with my final days stretched out before me and all I have to leave is this, my life, compressed to the ink stains on so many page.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Scribe of Note

My story begins some thirty years ago. I was working at the castle as one of hundreds of scribes. Our duty, to record everything from tax accounts to legal disputes to how much paper the castle used in a day. The work was thankless, but important. Without the scribes the castle would have fallen to ruin.

I worked in the legal department. Whenever there was a dispute between ponies that came before the Princess she would have us pull documents, review the case and any relevant information, and report to her any important details. I was just one of about forty in the department at this point and I had only been present at a small few of the proceedings. On this particular day there was a dispute between two upper class ponies concerning land rights. This was the first time I was sent on my own and to say I was nervous would be a gross understatement.

Princess Celestia, Sovereign of all Ponies, Raiser of the Sun and Moon, and Ruler of all Equestria sat on her throne holding court. Her rainbow colored mane flowed in an ever-present ghost wind. Looking into her eyes you could see the wisdom and knowledge that belied her beauty and youthful appearance. A charcoal unicorn in gilded gold armor stood guard at each side of the throne, neither moving a muscle except to scan the other occupants of the room.

Standing before her were two ponies, one unicorn of green coat and brown mane and a black as night earth pony with a silver mane and tail. Each wore formal attire covering them from neck to flank. I entered with a satchel full of documents and no clue as to why. I took slow calming breaths as I stared at the floor and they continued to argue. It was apparent that they had been going back and forth for the better part of an hour and from the look on her face that the Princess had grown tired of listening to them bicker.

"I must protest," interjected Mr. Monger the unicorn, "Mr. Smith built that mine on my property. Those lands have been in my family for generations-."

"Pony feathers, your family abandoned them and have let them rot for generations. The only reason you care is because my family has managed to turn a profi-."

"You built on my land! Without my permission!"

"Ahem." The Princess said quietly, bringing the two ponies' attention back to her. "Mr. Chronicle," she said glancing at me still standing at the entrance, "would you mind coming forward and informing us as to who has the rights to this land?"

I froze standing at the entrance of the hall. I had been hoping that I could slink by without being called upon. I felt sweat bead on my forehead. It was one thing to be around the Princess, it was quite another to have her address me by name. How did she even know my name?

"Mr. Chronicle?"

"Oh, um, y-yes your majesty." I stammered keeping my eyes down and making my way in front of the two noble ponies. "A-according to our r-records," I began, retrieving the relevant documents from my satchel, "the lands in q-question have not been sold by Mr. M-Monger or his family." I placed a copy of the deed on the tables in front of the two ponies. "T-they indeed have been owned by the M-mongers for well into one h-hundred f-forty eight years. How-"

"See that is my land, you have no right to it!" Mr. Monger burst out with a stomp of his hoof and a smug grin.

"However," I said perturbed at the interruption I stared Mr. Monger down, "nopony has paid taxes on that land for the past twenty five years." Mongers mouth slammed shut with an audible click, "There by accumulating a debt of…" I paused checking the numbers on the form floating beside me "… accounting for interest and penalties… sixty four thousand nine hundred sixty two and … eleven hundredths bits." Both ponies' mouths dropped as copies of the tax forms floated to the tables, "And with the current estimated value of the property being slightly less than thirty thousand bits it reverts back to the ownership of the state and therefore the Princess." I finished looking up at the regal alicorn, and flushing at the small smile she gave me.

Celestia turned her attention back to the two ponies with a sly smile, "Well that is rather interesting Mr. Chronicle. Since neither of you can come to an agreement and I have no use for that little piece of property I hereby place it up for public auction. In three weeks time the property and all assets located on and in it will go to the highest bidder."

"But, but…. You can't just-" Both ponies stammered together.

"You will find that I can." She chided like an angry mother disciplining her foals, "Your greed and unwillingness to work together has brought this upon you. I gave you ample time to reach an agreement, but instead you argued and fought. Neither of you will get what you want. Next time perhaps you will find it in yourselves to reach a compromise. You are both dismissed."

Red faced, whether in rage or embarrassment I could not say, they backed away from the Princess with bowed heads and closed mouths. As they turned to leave both of them faced each other whispering heated words that I could not make out, but could easily imagine. When the great doors closed behind the departing ponies the Princess let out a soft sigh and softly shook her head. Her irritation slowly seeped out and her calm demeanor returned.

I began gathering all my papers together and replacing them in my satchel. I felt good. Being able to talk down to a pony like Baron Monger was a rare but gratifying experience. Then the Princess looked over at me.

"Mr. Chronicle, would you mind escorting me back to my apartments? There is a matter I need to discuss with you."

Though I had been working in the castle for many years I had spent very little time around the Princess. When I did it was always in reference to a case and with a number of other scribes in attendance and Mr. De'facto was the only one who ever spoke. This was unprecedented for me and I immediately feared the worst. I was frozen for a moment in complete shock unsure as to what I should do.

"Mr. Chronicle?" She called again.

"Uh, y-yes, I mean, n-no, I mean, as you w-wish your majesty." I managed to stammer out trying to compose myself.

The Princess merely smiled indulgently as she stood. She began to make her way to the side exit. The two unicorn guards fell into lock-step two paces behind her. And I stood still locked in uncertainty with papers floating halfway to their place in my bag.

Upon reaching the door she turned toward me with a quizzical look, "Are you coming Mr. Chronicle?"

Her question snapped me out of my daze, "uh, yes, yes." I said quickly; realizing that I was delaying the Princess I shoved the papers into my bag not paying any attention to their order or placement and made quick to join her. A soft grey enveloped the wooden door as one of the guards opened it.

I kept a half step behind the Princess as we walked down the hallway. But my eyes kept darting from one stained glass mural to the next. This was a part of the castle that I had never been to before. Each image was of an important event in Equestrian history displayed in stained glass images. The first group of murals depicted the story of Hearths Warming Eve, the harsh winter and the dissension among the pony's, the discovery of what is now Equestria and the six being trapped in the cave, ending with the three becoming friends and banishing the Windigos.

The next set of panes pulled me up short. The first was of a creature, a monster that looked to be comprised of a number of different animals with its head thrown back in laughter. The scene behind him was filled with so many strange images that made no sense. Rain clouds on the ground with rain drops going up, what could only be described as an inside out house, lollipops growing out of the ground, and ponies all over doing strange and impossible things.

"Are you familiar with the story of Discord?" came the voice of the Princess.

"D-Discord? Who is Discord?"

"That creature was a Draconiquis known as Discord. Remind me to tell you the story someday. But for now come, we have things to discuss."

The Princess began moving off again motioning me to follow and with one last glance at the mural I fell back in with her. We continued down the hallway in silence. I tried to study the murals to keep my mind off the fact that I was with the Princess. There were so many murals that I recognized and so many more that I did not; I had to also focus on not stopping and thereby delaying the Princess further. The hallway eventually ended and we began making our way through the castle proper. We continued on eventually climbing a flight of stairs that ended at a set of ornate double doors. The guards immediately positioned themselves on either side and opened the door for the Princess and me.

The Princess stepped into the room and I froze halfway through the portal. Once again I found myself unable to think or move. I had just stepped into the Princess' private offices. The light of the sun flowing in from the glass-domed roof lit the massive room. A light spring breeze came in from the open balcony keeping the air fresh and clean. A massive ornate desk dominated the center of the room stacked with piles of papers and books. The walls were lined with bookshelves and filing cabinets. As I stood half inside the Princess moved to behind the desk taking a seat and smiling that same indulgent smile from earlier. She motioned to a cushion on my side of the desk that I had not noticed. Coming to, I hurried to it and tentatively took my seat carefully watching the Princess, still unsure of myself. I jumped slightly as the door behind me closed.

"Now Mr. Chronicle, do you know why I have asked you here today?" she asked still smiling.

"N-no, your majesty." I replied worry churning my stomach. My mind began to reel at the possibilities, had I messed up? Did I screw up an important document? Was she firing me? Why would she fire me? Shouldn't Mr. De'facto be doing this? Oh this is bad.

But as my mind ran through all these things and more she just smiled at me. Everything stopped, all the sound ceased, the breeze froze, and my mind cleared. For that one moment there was only her, her smile radiating love, and understanding. I felt a calmness enter me, all my worries seemed to melt away, and suddenly I felt that everything was going to be all right.

"As I am sure you are aware it takes a great deal of time and effort to keep Equestria running smoothly. As the sole ruler I have a large number of royal duties that are expected of me which leaves me little time for administrative duties. Because of this I have taken to employing a secretary to relieve me of some of these burdens. Two weeks ago my last secretary, Mr. Quill, filled his retirement papers."

I nodded in understanding, but I still didn't know why she was telling me this. She needed a new secretary; did she want my input on who would be a good choice? Maybe she wanted me to search the records for her to find information on different candidates.

"I have spent the last two weeks speaking with the head scribes. We looked at each scribe employed at the castle and discussed their merits for the position. Tell me, what was your opinion of the Hooves v. Crust case last month?"

"H-Hooves v. Crust?" I asked, unsure of the sudden change in subjects. "W-Well I felt that your d-decision was... j-judicious."

"Judicious? Come Mr. Chronicle, I expect my subjects to be honest with me. If you won't answer honestly then I have no use for you." Irritation dripped from her voice.

"Uhmm.." I was lost, "I think..."

"Really, Mr. Chronicle, if you cannot or will not give me a straight answer then we have nothing else to discuss."

My eyes dropped. I didn't know what to do. Then she said it. "You are dismissed, Mr. Chronicle."

With those words something snapped. I lost control like I had earlier with Mr. Monger, "Your treatment of the Hooves family bordered on neglect. Mr. Crust was obviously the aggressor. He pushed the Hooves family to the breaking point. Their response was the only logical outcome of such treatment and yet you punish them further by siding with Mr. Crust." When I finished I was out of breath; my burst of courage faded quickly as I realized what I had just done. I stood stock still and tried to recover my breath, waiting for her to chastise me again.

But she just smiled like before with no hint of her earlier irritation."Very good, now can you tell me why I passed that verdict?"

Once again I found my eyes staring intently at the floor in embarrassment, "B-Because you had to," I knew the case well, I had been on the team in charge of it and I knew that it had been the only possible outcome, "the H-Hooves had broken the law and the Crusts had not. T-There was no other possible verdict."

"Now, what is your opinion of Mr. De'facto?"

"Mr. De'facto?" I asked, once again caught off guard by the change of topics, my irritation at the entire situation burned through "He is an angry old colt, a horse driver. His extremely high standards for our work are beyond measure. Nothing but perfection is allowed to go beyond his desk. And he never misses a mistake…" As the words escaped my mouth I realized how completely inadequate they were, "but he is fair. He r-rewards our good work with equal f-fervor as he punishes our bad… I could not i-imagine working under anyone else."

"Really? Well he has much the same opinion of you. He said you were his best scribe and that a pony of your ability only comes around once a generation. I hope you will still consider my offer."

"Y-Your offer?"

"Why yes Mr. Chronicle, you are the best of the candidates. All the head scribes agreed. I would like you to be my new secretary. You are of course under no pressure to accept."

This had truly been the most exasperating day of my life. It seemed that with every sentence I had been stopped speechless. Nothing had gone the way I expected it to. And now here I stood in front of Princess Celestia, being offered a job after loudly disagreeing with her and insulting my boss. I did not know what to do. I did not know what to say... "Yes." The words escaped from my mouth without my consent, "I would be honored to serve."

"I thought you would." She said knowingly, "You are to report to me here tomorrow at sunrise, now please go find Mr. De'facto and tell him of your decision."

"Yes, your majesty," I said, bowing my head in resignation to what I had just done. I began back stepping toward the door.

"Two more things, first of all I will expect you to be honest with me at all times. I will be asking for your opinions on matters and I will not have you saying only what you believe I want to hear. Is that clear, Mr. Chronicle?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"And because we will be working together I insist that you call me Celestia."

"Yes, your majesty." I said one last time as I stepped out the door.

The guards eyed me as the door closed behind me. I did my best to ignore their eyes as I began making my way down the stairs. Once I was out of sight I galloped through the halls until I collapsed to the floor out of breath. My mind raced over the events of the day and sped through every possible emotion in a matter of minutes, coming close to tears two or three times. I had lived a peaceful life up to this point, doing my job as best I could without making waves or getting noticed… or so I had thought. Now I was to be the Princess' secretary and I had said yes… without even thinking about it. What had I been thinking? Could I go back and refuse?

My mind continued on like this until I heard the clip clop of a pony approaching. I struggled to take control of myself. Breathing in a final time I looked up to see who was intruding on my inner conflicts.

"Howdy feller." She was a lime green earth pony with a blonde mane that was half grey, "Is e'rything alrit?"

"Yes," I said looking back at the ground.

"Come now, yur lyin'. Ah can tell. Why dontch ya tell ol' Granny Smith all about it."

I don't know if it was her country accent or that she reminded me of my own grandma, but I told her everything. And she listened only stopping me when she wanted something repeated. When I finished I felt much better, if no less worried and at a loss as to what to do.

Then she said something that I will never forget, "Well, sonny, there is only one thing fur ya to do. Stand on up and keeper going. It sounds to meh like the Princess were mighty impressed wit ya. And ya should trust her, shes been runnin things fur quite along time. Now it was maghty fine meet'n ya, but ah got to go. Zapp apples don't sell themselves ya know... well maybe they do, but somepony's got ta collect the bits." And with that she stood up, smiled one last time, and left.

I sat there for another minute processing her words. Eventually I realized that she was right. I still didn't know how I was going to handle this change to my life and I was still scared and unsure about everything. But Celestia had chosen me and she believed in me. I could take solace in that. Standing on shaking legs I made my way back to the scribe quarters to tell Mr. De'facto the news.

(Lovingly edited by Inkiepie)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Scribe at Work

I spent most of the rest of that day briefing the scribes who would be taking over my case load. I spent hours going over the details of each case and answering their questions, only allowing them to leave once I was certain that they were properly prepared. Once that was done I went to see Mr. De'facto one last time.

"I'm sorry to see you leaving us." I nodded in agreement, "Your work was always stellar. Whenever I saw your name on a file I had no doubts as to the accuracy." he paused taking in a breath, "You were like the son I never had."

"But don't you have a son?"

"I'm going to miss you." He said with a sad smile. "Ah, but don't let me keep you, you've got a big day tomorrow." He led me to the door. "Don't be a stranger."

"Thank you Mr. De'facto." I said stepping out the door, "It was a pleasure working for you."

With everything else finished I made my final stop to clean out my desk. I did not have much in the way of personal effects; my mothers' phoenix feather quill, my fathers' old reading glasses, and the tiny portrait of the three of us from when I was a colt. I remember getting that picture drawn.

It took three different trips to the artists studio and hours of sitting as still as a statue to finish that painting. It was the only family portrait that we had ever gotten. My father, with his untamable blue mane graying at the sides, looking over his glasses as serious as always; my mother, wearing her pink mane in a mess of curls, grinning from ear to ear. I felt tears begin to form in my eyes. I quickly put the picture away hoping that would allow me to suppress the memories. Regaining my composure I turned to leave the office for the last time.

As I was leaving my coworkers caught me off guard when I was stopped by everypony wishing me a heartfelt goodbye. Some even expressed how things would not be the same without me. I didn't know what to say, so I smiled as best I could, thanked them for their kind words, wished them well, and did my best to flee without looking like I was.

I finally made it out of the office, escaping the awkwardness of my co-workers goodbyes. I started back toward my room trying to understand what had just happened. Sure I knew most of them by name, but I had never really socialized with anypony and Mr. De'facto was something else altogether. I wasn't able to get my head around their reactions before I found myself standing in front of my room.

Pushing through the door I sighed heavily, glad to finally be alone and to have the chance to think about the days to come. But at the sight of my pallet the fatigue that had been building up during the day hit me like a charging buffalo and I was asleep before my head hit the hay.

So there I stood, outside the Princess' office. Sunrise still a half an hour away; I refused to be anything but prompt. My father used to tell me fifteen minutes early was fifteen minutes too late. I had taken that to heart and done my best to be early for everything and it had severed me well. I am sure that the guards weren't too thrilled with me though.

For almost thirty minutes they had stood stock-still barely blinking an eye as I waited outside the door. It didn't take me long to start worrying about what they were thinking. I was never very good with ponies, but if I was going to be working with the Princess than I would be well served by not being on their bad side. The last thing I wanted was for them to resent me; I needed to make a good impression.

"Hello." I said tentatively looking back and forth between them. "How are you two doing this morning?" Nothing, "it must be exciting being on the Princess' personal guard." –Blink-blink- "Um…" I faltered; I'm not sure what I had expected to happen, in all my years at the palace I hadn't seen a single guard react any different. They were like half animated statues that only moved when they were escorting the Princess.

I was saved from embarrassing myself further when the door opened slightly, "You can come in Mr. Chronicle."

I entered the office with my head bowed and once I cleared the portal I went to my knees. "Your majesty."

"There is no need to be so formal and please my name is Celestia."

"As you say your majesty." I said rising

My eyes went wide as I took in my surroundings. Had I not walked there myself I would have sworn that this was not the same room from the day before. The book cases and file cabinets were as I remembered and the same desk still dominated the center of the office, but the office itself looked completely different under the light of the moon. The walls themselves seemed to glow, filling the room with a soft silvery illumination that provided just enough light to see by.

I tilted my head back to look up at the domed ceiling. The glass panes that had lit the room during the day were an impenetrable pitch black. Where before the soft light of the sun had shone through now hundreds, maybe thousands, of diamonds seemed to float in the air shinning like the stars of the constellations they depicted. I marveled at the diamond stars suspended above my head. It was as though the glory of the stars had been stolen from the sky and trapped within these four walls.

My eyes were drawn away from the false sky by a bright light at the corner of my vision. Turning toward the offending light I discovered a tiny tree no bigger then a bouquet of flowers. The small trunk and limbs were spattered with tiny scales that emitted a light almost akin the night-flies that many ponies captured for use in their lanterns.

"Do you like it?" the Princess asked stepping next to me.

"Its… amazing…"

"Yes," She said sadly, "it was a gift from… somepony who used to be very close to me… a very long time ago…" I turned toward her, but her flowing rainbow mane obscured her face. I struggled to find words of comfort, but before I could she spoke again, "It is time for me to raise the sun." Her voice had recovered, carrying the amused tone of a mother bending to her the whims of her children. "Ponies seem to worry when I am even a little late."

She moved toward the balcony to stand out under the open sky; I followed her, too preoccupied with everything I was taking in to realize what I was doing. As the cool night air washed over me realization struck home. My legs locked in the grips of fear. I clenched my jaw and dropped my eyes to the balcony floor. My left foreleg tried to step back of its own accord as I fought the urge to curl up into the fetal position. I couldn't move, I couldn't think. Panic held me paralyzed. All I could do was turn an eye toward the Princess and hope that she would be able to help me.

A golden aura began at her horn slowly expanding to engulf her entire body until she was shining like the sun. I was bathed in the surge of magic radiating from her. It filled me with warmth and began to melt away the terror that had paralyzed me. My upraised hoof found its way to the floor as the first rays of light broke the horizon. But as the magic faded so to did the calm and I could feel the panic clawing its way up from the back of my mind. Not waiting for the Princess I quickly backed myself into the room and spun around. My eyes darting around the four walls of the room to reassure myself of their presence and quell the rising panic. I slowly began to regained control and realized that I had been hyperventilating. The palace had been my aegis for such a long time that I had forgotten what it was like outside.

As my breathing slowed I heard her step back inside. I felt her place a hoof on my back stroking my mane. She hummed a soothing melody that I recognized but couldn't place. My mind filled with memories of my childhood. The same scene played out a hundred times, but with my mother doing her best to calm me instead.

"I-I'm sorry." I said swallowing a gasp, "I didn't mean to-"

"Shhh, it's ok, you're safe now, back inside... There is no need for you to be present when I raise the sun or moon."

"Th-thank you, your majesty." I said, regaining my composure I finally noticed the room. Everything was back to the way it had been the day before. The walls no longer seemed to glow, a soft light was beginning to shine through the glass ceiling without a diamond to be found and the tiny tree looked to be just another house plant. My mind reeled at the changes.

"Do you think you are well enough to continue? There is a great deal of work to do." I nodded without really thinking. "Excellent, we will begin today with something that I think you will enjoy," an amused smile crossed her lips, "paperwork."

She took her seat behind the desk and I sat on the provided cushion from the other day. Using her magic the Princess lifted half the stack of papers from the box titled "in" and placed them on the floor next to me.

Without another word we both began work on our piles. The papers included everything, expense reports, orders for supplies, royal edicts such as the auction of Mr. Monger's property, requests and any other piece of paper that required the Princess' seal or signature. We worked in relative silence, the scraping of quills on paper the only sound.

I worked through each piece of paper marking any discrepancies I found or any item I thought important enough to bring to her attention. Each paper I finished was placed in one of two piles on the desk. The first, and by far larger one, contained approvals and the second one was the rejection pile. As she worked she would alternate between her own pile and the two I was adding to. If she agreed with my decision she would sign it then place it on the out box. When she found one that she disagreed with she would have me explain why I made the choice that I had. Inevitably she would show me why I was wrong leading me down a path of thought that I had not considered.

As we worked I had to ask many questions regarding specific items that I was unsure of and she would answer with a smile. With each page I began to understand how the castle worked just a little better. For the first time since yesterday I felt sure of myself. And I relished it, getting lost in my mountain ofpaper work. All the tension that had been building up for the last few days seemed to slip away, if this was going to be my job than I would have no problems.

At the end of the second hour or so the Princess put her quill down and rubbed her eyes. "If you will excuse me, I am going to step outside for a moment."

She stood and walked out on to the balcony as I continued to work alone. A few moments later there was a soft knock at the door and a young pegasus pushed through. I glanced his way as he entered the room. I had seen him passing out papers and mail in my old office. Though I couldn't place a name to his face I did recognize his Cutie Mark, a picture of a scroll with three parallel lines running toward his tail. I guessed that he was here to collect the outgoing paper work. Trying to be helpful I reached out to straighten up the pile.

The moment my hoof touched the first page I felt a spark of magic shoot through my entire being. I was stuck! The papers had been booby trapped! I struggled against the magic that gripped me for all the good it did. The young stallion starred at me for a moment before breaking into the most ridiculous grin.

"Haha oh she got you good That was probably meant for me though She is going to be angry I wouldn't worry too much She will probably let you out once she gets back This your first day huh My name is Zipp" He said without seeming to take a breath. "I run the Princess' messages throughout the palace Hey I recognize you Yeah you work in the legal department desk twenty-three right That's a pretty big promotion" Using his wing he opened his saddlebags and brought out a large stack of papers dropping it onto the almost empty inbox. "Man you're going to have a long day ahead of you Hope you like paperwork" He collected all the papers from the out box and shoved them into the pocket that he had just emptied. "Well I better get going can't keep people waiting It was nice meeting you again Have fun Oh man is she going to be surprised." And with that he was gone, the door closing behind him.

The Princess came back in from the balcony wearing a smug expression, "Looks like I finally got you..." she faltered at the sight of me frozen in place leaning over the desk. "The best laid plans…" she sighed shaking her head. "I see Zipp managed to sneak in while I wasn't looking, again. And you managed to spring the trap that I planted to catch him." leaning forward she touched her horn to my head. "I swear that colt is luckier than a two sided bit and a stacked deck." A sharp jolt ran through my entire body as she removed the hex and I fell back on to the cushion.

I was at a complete loss, "I-I'm sorry… I didn't reali-"

"Oh, it's not your fault. Don't worry yourself over it. I'll just have to come up with something new for next time." She looked over at the freshly stocked inbox, "We will have to come back to these later. It's about time for you to make your first appearance by my side in public."

"Yes, your majesty." I felt my mouth go dry. As confident and comfortable as I was with the paperwork I had no idea what it would be like at court as the Princess' secretary. The events of yesterday were the first time I had been actively involved in anything besides prep work for Mr. De'facto. I had known that this was coming, but I had avoided thinking about it until this moment. Before I could think about anything else I heard that old pony's voice "Stand on up and keeper going. It sounds to meh like the Princess were mighty impressed wit ya. And ya should trust her…" She believes in me, she trusts me. I could still feel the uncertainty gnawing at the back of my mind, but it was bearable. I could do this; as long as the Princess believed in me then I could do this.

Her magic aura surrounded her horn again and a set of saddlebags bearing the royal star-burst floated out from behind the desk. "These contain everything you might need for today. Once you put them on we will be ready to leave." I nodded slightly taking the bags with my own tan aura. I fastened them across my back before looking up at the Princess and receiving an encouraging smile.

We left the office taking the same path we had the day before. I once again had the opportunity to admire the stories of Equestria played out on stained glass murals. But I was too busy listening to the Princess brief me on exactly how things would go once we arrived.

"Most of what happens at court might seem like a complete waste of time and it would be, but ponies expect the pomp and circumstance and I have found that things run smoother when you give the ponies what they expect. Once we arrive the guards will make the announcement of my arrival. You will then follow me up to the dais and stand on the left side of the throne. From then on the herald will do most of the work announcing each petitioner and making sure that everypony knows what to do. For today your primary focus will be on taking notes and simply observing the goings on. Don't feel like you need to record everything that happens, stick to just the items that seem like they might be important enough to keep track of. I will also need you to maintain my calendar of events. It won't do for me to not at least know about the important events that are happening, even if I won't be able to attend them myself." She continued to inform me of the procedure of the court and what kind of things I should consider important enough to make note of. Before I realized it we were at our destination.

The guards stepped forward opening the door and walking through to take up positions on either side. With a magically enhanced voice one of the guards announced her presence, "All bow for the Sovereign of all Ponies, Ruler of Equestria, Raiser of the Sun and Moon, your Eternal Princess Celestia."

"And one last thing," she said as she stepped toward the door, "I am expecting a delegation from the Griffin Empire today."

With those words I followed the Princess into my own personal waking nightmare.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Scribe in Court

Princess Celestia stepped into her throne room with an air of confidence that bordered on arrogance. Each step was filled with grace and poise. She was the embodiment royalty, a princess gracing her subjects with her presence. When she took her seat she gazed out at the gathered throng. There was no doubt in my mind, this was her arena, this was where she thrived.

I followed her on shaky legs, barely able to stay upright. My eyes stayed locked not two paces in front of my hooves. I did not want to look up. I knew what I would see and just the thought of it terrified me. In that moment I wanted nothing more than to be back at my desk, reading briefs and taking notes. Amazingly my legs managed to carry me up the raised platform that held the throne. Positioned to the left of the Princess and with that old pony's words echoing in my mind, I gathered my courage, took a deep breath, and raised my eyes.

For the second time that day I was frozen somewhere between complete panic and catatonic terror. They were packed flank to flank, row upon row, all kneeling before their princess. I had never seen so many ponies in one place. The mass of ponies were broken into two groups, one on either side of the carpet leading up to the throne. Pegasus guards like shining beacons of law and order surrounded the horde; ensuring that they all remained calm, peaceful, and a goodly distance from their charge. Eight unicorn guards stood just below the dais, the last line between the Princess and a violent riot; while the two that had escorted us took up positions just in front and to either side of the throne.

A rather odd looking green earth pony with no mane to speak of knelt toward the Princess in the space between the pegasus and unicorn guards. More than a little over weight he wore an uncomfortably tight fitting navy blue suit jacket with a large red and yellow bow tie.

To the right of the throne four ponies stood at attention saluting the Princess as she sat on her throne. Starting at the far right was Lord Commander Cloudbreaker, commanding officer of Her Majesties Pegasus Strike Force. His close cropped pink mane completely out of place with his scared and severe face. He wore dress blues over his gray fur, foregoing all ornamentation other than the winged sun crest on his shoulder that denoted his rank. Next to him stood the Arch-Magi Silent Stars, commanding officer of the Strategic Recon and Strike Corps. A full-length coat with its dark green and black stripes covered her entire body and its high collar hid most of her face. Her horn and muzzle were heavily tattooed, each marking representing a rank of command. The only badges she wore were the silver crescent moon and golden star-burst on her lapels. The massive draft pony General Bullrunner of the Equestrian Defense Brigade stood beside her in full battle raiment. Overlapping steel plates covered him from neck to hoof, cruel looking bladed spikes extended out of the back of his front hooves, his head and face were completely obscured behind his Brigade Issued bullhorn helmet, the only unarmored part of his body was his cyan tail that twitched irritably. Finally, with the white coat, blue mane, and golden armor of his subordinates, Commandant Nightrunner of the Royal Guard stood at the shoulder of the Princess.

"My little ponies, it warns my heart to see so many of you here today. Though we have but a limited time I do hope to be able to hear from each of you today."

The ponies all stood, though many kept their eyes cast down, afraid to look upon their princess. The green pony rose more slowly than the others. He looked up at the Princess and waited. When she gave him a small nod a broad smile split is large round face as he gave her as small bow. Turning to face the gathered ponies he took in a mighty breath, his chest expanding even further to make room.

"HER MAJESTY, THE ETERNAL PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA, WELCOMES ALL HER CHILDREN INTO HER PALACE. AS IS TRADITION SHE WILL NOW HEAR THE SUPPLICATIONS OF HER SUBJECTS."

The herald's words echoed up and down the hall. The ponies that were unfortunate enough to be standing too close to him rubbed their ears in vain to stop the ringing. When the echo stopped nopony had moved. Many seemed to be looking around at each other, unwilling to be the first to step forward.

Deciding that he had waited long enough the herald drew in another large breath. But before he could give it a voice two young pegasi stumbled out of the crowd with a slightly surprised look on their faces. The herald deflated slightly at seeing them but quickly motioned for them to step forward.

The two looked at each other, still uneasy but taking comfort in the other's presence. They wrapped a wing around each other and began making their way forward side by side. The golden maned silver mare seemed to glow as she walked down the carpet with her fiery maned dark blue stallion in tow. She quickly overcame her initial nervousness and a look of excitement began to overtake her features. He, however, remained reticent looking everywhere except where he was headed.

The pair approached the herald and the mare spoke softly to him; he listened intently nodding slightly as she told him what they wished from the Princess. When they finished he motioned them to step forward to the edge of the dais. He then turned back toward the assembled ponies.

"THESE PONIES, MS. GOLDEN RAY AND MR. SKY FIRE, WISH THEIR PENDING UNION TO HAVE THE PRINCESS' BLESSING."

A cheer went up from the crowd until the Princess motioned for silence. With a wave of her hoof the Princess motioned for the two to step forward bringing them to the foot of her throne. She leaned between the two and encircled them in her wings, whispering softly in their ears and listening attentively to their replies. When she was satisfied she folded her wings and stood motioning the two to face the crowd.

"No magic is stronger than the friendship shared between ponies. And when that friendship turns to love it can overcome any obstacle." the Princess smiled down at the two ponies in front of her, "These two ponies wish to express their love through the eternal union of marriage. May you live long and happy lives together and share your love with all those around you."

A cheer erupted from the reassembly accompanied by a thunder of hooves pounding the marble floor. The two waved timidly at the crowd until the Princess motioned them toward my still frozen form.

"Mr. Chronicle?" She asked over the dwindling applause. "Princess Celestia said she would like to attend our wedding and to schedule it with you?"

"Um... Mr. Chronicle?" The stallion asked waving a hoof in front of my face.

"Ouch!" I jumped as something bit my flank; almost head butting the bride to be. They turned to each other then back to me with a questioning stares.

"What... Oh yes, schedule, wedding." Trying to recover, I dug through the saddlebags pulling out the calendar, ink, and quill. "What day did you say it would be?" I smiled weakly.

"It will be in three months on the twenty sixth. The ceremony will start at three in the evening." She spoke softly now that the crowd had quieted while another pony was approaching the herald.

I flipped the calendar to the appropriate page, "Okay, twenty sixth, three pm. We will do our best to attend." There was nothing else scheduled for that day, but I knew I couldn't make any guarantees.

They thanked me and took their leave, heading out along the outer edge if the crowd. A number of ponies joined them making the assembly just a little smaller.

From there on I managed to maintain my composure by focusing my attention only on the individuals or small groups that approached the Princess. I watched for hours as the Princess heard the voices of her people. None were turned away, though many were not granted what they sought. Some brought complaints against their neighbors or family and the Princess would turn them over to the royal guard to deal with.

Some ponies asked for money and if the Princess found them to be truthful and truly in need she would have me write out a receipt for them. One mare came asking for funds, claiming that she had been fired for turning down the advances of her employer. The Princess was horrified, or so I had thought, and demanded that the offending stallion be brought forward at once. I should have known that something was amiss when the mare tried to tell the Princess that such action was unnecessary. It was an uncomfortable length of time before a guard returned with the stallion in tow.

"Ms. Maner? I was worried when you didn't show up to work this morning. Did something happen?" The concerned look on his face and the sound of his voice did not match the given description. Ms. Maner looked like a rabbit trapped between a fox and a wall.

"May I enquire about your relation to Ms. Maner, Mr. ...?" The Princess asked.

As though just realizing where he was the stallion gave a clumsy bow before responding, "yes, your highness, my name is Loomer. Ms. Maner came to me last week seeking employment. Her husband has passed away recently, you see, so I hired her on a trial basis. She had no experience, but was learning quickly enough." with each word the mare seemed to shrink further and further into her herself, attempting to hide behind her mane, "I was about to offer her a full time position when she didn't show up today." Ms. Maner was visibly shaking at this point and the stallion looked on with concern and a great deal of confusion.

"Thank you Mr. Loomer, I believe that will be all. Ms. Maner will be returning to work later today, isn't that right?" The mare nodded silently still trying to hide behind herself.

The shopkeeper bowed toward the Princess and placed a comforting hoof on his employees shoulder before taking his leave, still unsure of what had just happened. Once he had passed through the great doors the Princess leveled a disappointed stare at the pony before her. When the weight of it became too much to bare she finally broke and began sobbing audibly. The Princess softened her gaze and wrapped the tearful mare in her magic aura, carrying her up to the throne. Comforting her the Princess whispered to her softly and received nods and shakes of the head from Ms. Maner each one more energetic than the last. When the Princess finally let her go she wore a smile and bowed multiple times to the Princess as she backed away thanking her profusely. Eventually she turned to run excitedly out of the great hall.

The Princess leaned over toward me, "we will need to send someone by Mr. Loomer's shop in a week to check on how she is doing." I nodded as I made a note to remind myself.

As the Princess heard the pleas of her people and rendered judgment the crowd began to shrink. Each leaving once they received judgment. By the end only twenty or so ponies remained in attendance.

Those that remained each carried the airs of impotence about themselves that I have come to recognize as the arrogance of the rich. The clothes they wore said much the same, excessive lace and jewels sewn about the silk cloth. They may have been waiting for the less well to do ponies to leave or possibly they were hoping for a private audience, either way they would not get the chance that day.

The two great doors swung open revealing two griffin's who more than equaled General Bullrunner in size. There was an immediate reaction from the Princess and the gathered military leaders, none of which was good.

The Princess seemed to sit higher as a less then pleased look distorted her features. The Commandant stepped closer to her as all his men turned to face the newest arrivals. For his part General Bullrunner's trail stopped twitching and began pawing at the ground with his forehoof. The Arch-Magi seemed non-pulsed, continuing to watch the room as she had been the whole time, while an unpleasant glower affixed itself on Lord General Cloudbreaker's face.

The two griffins moved forward on talon and paw. Their heads turning all around the room eyeing everypony in a very unpleasant way, I felt cold sweat bead on my forehead when their gaze landed on me. I was reminded of the way Mrs. Maner had looked under the Princess' gaze. They moved past the remaining ponies, who gave them a wide berth, until they came to the line of pegasus guards standing between them and the dais. They stopped there, each taking a single step away from the other to reveal a third griffin that had been following behind them. Unlike her hulking guards this griffin was of similar stature to a pony. She wore an obviously expensive white silk robe inlaid with golden embroidery and ebony buttons.

She stepped up to the line of pegasi and was stopped when their wings flared out with a distinct whoosh, blocking her path. She eyed the two guards before turning what I can only guess was an impatient look toward the Princess. I could feel my heart race at the indignation that I felt toward this griffin's behavior and I could only imagine how the generals on the other side of the throne were maintaining their composure. But before anypony could cause trouble the Princess spoke.

"Let her pass."

Their wings slowly retracted, as though they were uncertain if they should obey. The griffin ambassador stepped past the pegasi and stopped just short of the line of unicorns. Standing on her hind legs she crossed a taloned limb at her waist and bowed slightly toward the Princess.

"Your majesty."

"Ambassador Kara." The Princess replied with a small nod. "I was expecting to meet with the Duke today."

"Yes, in light of recent events His Grace felt that it would be prudent for his son to return to Aerie. Just to be safe."

"Are ye' tryin' ta imply tha' we would no' honor our oaths?" Bullrunner interjected through gritted teeth. The Princess turned a withering gaze in his direction forcing him to retreat from the step he had taken forward.

"I am not implying anything General. I simply serve His Grace as he commands." A slight grin turned at the corners of her beak. She began to pace up and down the line of unicorns "When the reports of missing pony scouts along our borders came in His Grace was concerned, truly, but did not give it much thought. He has many problems to deal with and a few missing ponies are the least of them. When this first body showed up, however, His Grace became worried that we griffins would have the blame unfairly placed at our talons. He simply wishes to avoid any… complications."

"I understand, ambassador, were the situations reversed I would likely take similar actions." The neutral tone of voice and gaze was one that I had not witnessed before. She did not seem to care at all about the actions of the griffin ambassador or the missing and dead ponies.

"What of the reports that you have increased your patrols at the border." Commander Cloudbreaker spoke up, though with less open hostility than the general had.

"Nothing more than a precaution against… whatever is happening at our borders. True, no griffins have disappeared yet, but that does not mean that they won't. It is better to be safe than sorry, wouldn't you agree?"

"I have no doubt that the commanders will be able to manage whatever creature is causing this problem. This is not, however, why you are here," the Princess said, bringing the topic to a close. "It has become necessary to alter our trade agreement."

The ambassador's smile slipped, "Oh?" she asked, finding herself on less solid ground. "How so?"

"It appears that the Zebras have discovered a wealth of gold in their eastern ranges. Hundreds are moving out to the mountains to mine it, they are calling it 'The Stampede for Gold'. Their leaders have approached us with offers for trade that are difficult to ignore."

At the time I did not understand the significance of what had just happened. Trade and economics had never been within my purview before. Ambassador Kara did a wonderful job of hiding her reaction.

"That is… Of course you have not signed any formal agreements yet?"

"Indeed not. I felt that with our long standing relations it would be untoward to simply cut His Grace out of the picture. That is the purpose of this meeting."

Thus began a great deal of back and forth between the Princess and the griffin ambassador. They spoke for many hours on the topic of trade. The Princess would offer a proposal and the ambassador would counter it. I was called upon to draw up numerous documents and forms that were reviewed and discussed between the two. A great deal of talking was done, but no agreement was in sight when the Princess rose from her throne.

"Time has gotten away from me. The hour is late and I must attend to my duties. I shall only be a minute."

Not waiting for a reply the Princess made her exit, leaving all but two of the royal guards in the great hall. The ambassador looked as though she was about to say something, but decided better of it. Taking the opportunity to sit down and rest, idly flipping through the discarded trade agreements. The only ponies still present besides me were the commanders and the eight unicorns stationed along the dais. The rest had been sent away hours ago.

With the Princess gone silence descended on the hall. It was not broken until the Arch-Magi spoke for the first time.

"How are you managing your predicament with the buffalo tribes?"

The ambassador seemed caught completely off guard, "Pardon?"

"I have encountered… rumors of complications between the griffin homeland and the northern buffalo tribes. I was inquiring as to the state of affairs."

"I can assure you that there are no problems between our two nations." Her words contained the surety of a seasoned politician.

"That is good to hear. I certainly do not lay much reliance on hearsay; however it is always paramount to be positive."

Silence once again descended upon the hall. The four warrior ponies whispered quietly amongst themselves as the ambassador idly flipped through last quarter's trade reports. I busied myself with organizing the paperwork until the light from the windows began to fade. Two unicorns made their way down the hall using their magic to ignite the chandeliers and candelabras that ran along the ceiling and walls.

When the door finally opened to admit the Princess I went to my knees as the commanders saluted. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the ambassador sit up, but she made no attempt to rise or formally acknowledge the Princess. After re-seating herself the Princess spoke.

"Shall we continue?"

The ambassador shook her head, "Your demands are unacceptable. We will not be able to reach any agreement under these conditions."

"That is unfortunate. But, you understand, the welfare of my ponies must be my first consideration. Perhaps His Grace may be able to find a way for us to reach a compromise."

Ambassador Kara gave a slight bow, "I will correspond with him immediately. With your leave."

When the Princess nodded her consent. The griffin collected the documents and handed them to one of her guards before turning to leave. No pony else moved until after the trio had left. Once the doors closed the Princess let out a sigh, eyes still fixed on the doors.

"Did everything go as planned Stars?"

"She demonstrates severe mastery of her facial muscles, but I concur with your suppositions. A griffin is culpable; nevertheless it is improbable that it was at the command of the hierarchy."

"Commandant?"

"She doesn't know about the incursion into buffalo territory. She will not be pleased when she learns of it through her superior."

"General?"

"She suspects the offer by the Zebras is a ruse. Wi' the poor relations between the two countries they will no' be able ta discover i' without calling our bluff. I' would be too big of a risk, the trade is too vi'al fer their people."

"Commander?"

"The Dukes absence has nothing to do with the events at the borders. His convoy is heading toward the Everfree, destination still unknown."

"Conclusions?"

"Maintain course. When The Emperor counters our offer we accept it grudgingly, citing the desire to maintain a good relationship."

"This will advance our situation two fold, a superior trade pact and the persistent risk of losing our trade to the Zebras."

"Give them the chance to handle the murders internally, but press the issue; even they are not arrogant enough to antagonize two countries simultaneously."

"The Emperor is plannin' soomething; we would be well served to find ou' wha' it is before it plays out."

"Is there anything else?" When no one spoke up she continued, "Then we are done here. I want detailed reports on available ponypower and resources on my desk by tomorrow."

"Ma'am." they said together saluting.

"Dismissed."

When the door closed behind the last pony only the Princess, her two guards, and I were left in the hall. I looked up at the Princess expectantly, uncertain of what to do next. I could see the exhaustion I felt played out on her face. She continued to stare off at nothing in particular seemingly lost in thought. Her silence extended on until I spoke up.

"Your Majesty?"

She blinked twice looking around in a slight daze until her eyes fell on me. "Mr. Chronicle, how many times must I tell you, call me Celestia. You did well for your first time."

"Thank you, your majesty. Is there anything else you needed me for?" I admit that I was hoping to be allowed to return to my room. It had been an exhausting day and just the thought of a bed was causing my eyelids to droop.

"No, Mr. Chronicle, that will be all for today. Tomorrow will be more to your liking I believe."

"By your leave." I said bowing one last time.

"Good night, Mr. Chronicle."

The cleaning staff had begun to file into the hall as I approached the door. They went to work immediately, brooms and mops working the floor. Pegasus ponies took to wing to wash the large stained glass windows. It would be a long night for them; the now absent throng of ponies had tracked dirty all up and down the floor.

I was surprised to find the Commandant waiting for me on the other side of the door. He eyed me up and down the way I would examine a questionable document.

"Mr. Chronicle, is it?" I nodded nervously. "I suppose you know who I am." It wasn't really a question, but I nodded again anyways. "I would like to discuss some things with you. We can talk on the way to your apartments."

I didn't have much choice but to follow him.

"I am going to be blunt with you, Mr. Chronicle. I do not believe that you are the right pony for this job. You have none of the social graces necessary for dealing with other ponies, you do not you have any experience in the political arenas, and you appear to be lacking anything that resembles a backbone."

I baulked at the insult. I had never spoken to this pony before and the first thing he does is call me incompetent. Needless to say I was a little irate. When I opened my mouth to rebuke him, however, the words died before they reached my lips. He was right of course. I had known it from the first moment. I was not the right pony for this position. I dropped my head in resignation.

He paused looking my way again. His voice changed becoming demanding. A drill sergeant berating his troops, not for failing, but for giving up. "Stop that right now. You are Celestia's right hoof and you need to act like it. For better or worse she chose you for this post and we get little say in the matter."

He jumped forward and spun around pulling me up short. Our noses a hair's width apart as his eyes drilled into mine. I tried to back away from his aggression, but he kept pace. My hind legs slipped and I landed on my rump. I continued to push away until I was about to fall over backwards.

"You are the gatekeeper for the Princess. Everything will go through you before the Princess sees it. Every piece of paper, every appointment, every politician, everything. You have to know what is important enough for the Princess to see and what you can deal with on your own. Celestia has more important things to do then reading every report that comes through. You have to be able to deal with these high and mighty blue bloods that believe they are above you and every other pony. If you let them they will walk all over you. There will be days where you are expected to speak with her voice. You will need to stand on your own and make those other ponies know that what you say holds the weight of Celestia's voice. Can you do that scribe?" I tried to speak but nothing came out. "I said, 'Can you do that scribe?'"

"Yes." I squeaked

"I can't hear you?"

"Yes." A sliver of confidence bloomed in my mind.

"This is a waste of time. No pony like you could ever be more than a sad little scribe. You'll never amount to anything. Why don't you go bury yourself in your books and leave the important work to the real ponies."

As the insults poured from his mouth I felt something forcing its way up from the pit of my stomach. Call it courage, call it anger, call it exhaustion if you like. It built up inside me till I couldn't contain it and it broke free. I pushed back against the Commandant. Regaining my hooves I forced him to take a step back. "I may be just a scribe to you, but the Princess chose me! Of all the ponies that she could have picked to work for her she picked me! If you have a problem with that then you can go complain to her. But you better be prepared to wait, I don't see an opening in her schedule anytime soon. Now, if you will excuse me." Breathing hard I pushed past the guard pony.

I made it five steps before I realized what had just happened. I paused for a moment replaying the events in my mind. I had never pushed back against somepony like that before. It was exhilarating. Unfortunately, it didn't last long; I could feel the adrenaline seeping back out of my system. I had to struggle to keep myself from looking back and to began walking again.

"I think you will do just fine." I heard the Commandant say from behind me. "I look forward to seeing you handle those rich foals."

(Authors notes: General Bullrunners' lines have been revised with this note from Inkiepie, {The parts with apostrophes such as: tha' wha' and i' are all meant to be pronounced as an abrupt stop on the ending letter so the 'a' in "tha' " gets pronounced like 'a in apple' and somewhat harsh and rough. The a in wha' gets pronounced "uh" etc. basically the same way they would be pronounced in the word anyway just missing a letter or two on the end. e in ye' (replaced "you") should be pronounced as "eh".} And as always if you see any mistakes let me know; I can't get better if I don't know I am messing up. Thanks for reading.)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: A Scribe Remembers**

**Part 1: A Game to Remember**

The weeks that followed my first day of being the princess' assistant were mostly mundane. The majority of the time was spent on paper work and by the end of the second week princess Celestia had decided that she no longer needed to directly guide my quill; so she began moving her things out of the office and back to her private study. I was nervous about this change at first, but the princess would hear none of it and I quickly found that having the office to myself was a dream come true. I would regularly lose myself in the work without anypony to distract me, until Zipp came knocking to trade out the finished reports with a new load of papers.

"Hey boss hows it going Getting an early start today Well you it won't matter much Got a whole new stack just for you" He smiled as he opened his bags. "Oh and I got this letter for you Not normal stuff here nope this ones an honest to Celestia letter from Silent Stars it says" He dropped the scroll on top of the document that I had been reviewing.

I levitated the scroll and examined the unbroken wax seal. Two unicorn horns crossed at the center atop a kite outer edge appeared to be a snake eating its own tail formed into the shape of a six pointed star.

"Thank you Zipp."

"Oh fine I see how it is Your no fun you know that" The disappointment in his voice quickly gave way to his flow of constant positive energy and he sped from the room with a "Well can't lolly gag all day I got work to do Catch you on the other side" The door closed itself with the force of him passing though.

I studied the scroll for a few minutes, simply watching it as it slowly rotated in front of me encased in the tan aura. I have never gotten much mail. My parents were gone before I moved out and I have never had many friends. It was kind of exciting. There was a mystery to it. What could Silent Stars have to say to me? I savoured the moment, the excitement, the mystery. When it became too much to bear I finally broke the seal.

_Mr. Chronicle,_

_ We have not had the chance to be properly introduced. I would like to remedy this unfortunate circumstance. I will be at the library this afternoon should you care to join me for a game of stones._

_ Arch-Magi Silent Stars_

What could the Arch-Magi want with me? The excitement that I had felt previously was replaced with anxiety. What was I to do? Would it be rude to refuse? How would I go about refusing? Would it be easier to simply go? Lacking any basis for a decision I decided to put it off until lunch time. I had plenty to do and it was still hours before the appointed time.

Not surprisingly I became entrenched in work and lost track of time. There was a short meeting between the princess and the mayor of a rural town called Ponyville. The apple orchards there were having some difficulty with creatures from the Everfree forest and were requesting help from Canterlot. After that I went straight back to work on the reports. It was nearly three in the afternoon when somepony knocked heavily on the door to my office.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal one of the most beautiful mares I had ever laid eyes on. I couldn't put a hoof on what it was about her that makes me say that, but it was the truth. Her mane had that odd natural beauty to it that no amount of time or effort could hope to mimic. It fell in deep blue waves about her face hiding the right side of her face. I had never seen a more fit pony in my life; her musculature was visible through her maroon coat. She didn't wear any cloths save for a s single saddlebag. The Cutie Mark on her flank displayed a pair of crossed unicorn horns.

"Oh, Oh, OH! Yuh... Your Silent Stars! I-I..."

A devilish smile crossed her lips. "Do not agonize Mr. Chronicle. I can retain no animosity towards any pony whom is laboring diligently in the princess' name. Though I do feel that you are now indebted to me."

"In-indebted..."

"Quite. You see, I sat in the library for two hours waiting. Waiting for a pony who never showed. A pony who never sent word that he wasn't going to show." I swallowed hard as she began moving into the office. "After two hours I went in search of that missing pony. My first stop was to the cafeteria. Do you know what I discovered there?" I shook my head slowly, unable to take my eyes off her slowly advancing form. "This particular pony hadn't shown up for lunch today or breakfast apparently." She stopped at the edge of the desk; a sandwich floated out of her saddlebag settling down on the desk in front of me. "So I thought to myself 'What would cause a former scribe to miss out on two meals?' and low and be hold here you are."

"I am so sorry. I got distracted with my work." I motioned at the mess of paper that was my desk. "I completely lost track of time and..."

"You'll just have to make it up to me, Mr. Chronicle. But before anything else I think you should eat." Sitting down she watched me expectantly. I gave a timid smile, picked up the sandwich, and took a bite. It was a bay leaf, lettuce, and tulip sandwich with just a hint of spicy mustard. I hadn't realized how hungry I was.

As I chewed on the last bit of the sandwich she opened her saddlebag once again and pulled out a square wooden board. I recognized it immediately, I had seen one everyday for the first fifteen years of my life. It was a simple board covered in twenty six evenly spaced horizontal and vertical lines making one hundred sixty nine intersecting points. After placing the board on the desk she then brought out two small bags, one white and the other black, that rattled as she placed them on either side of the game board.

"Have you ever played stones?"

"Yes... I have... once." I hadn't seen a stones board in years. _'Come over here boy, I think it is finally time that I teach you to play stones'_

"Once?" A single eyebrow arched up.

"Yes, ma'am." I tore my eyes away from her face forcing myself to study the board. _'Stones is a thinking stallions game. Its simplicity can be deceiving.'_

Silent Stars brought up a single black stone and placed it on one of the intersecting lines. _'Each player takes a turn placing a stone. The goal is to control the majority of the board.' _I tentatively raised a white stone and placed it on the board. _'Surround your opponents stones to remove them from the board.' _I pulled the five stones she had surrounded off the board, losing control of the top left corner. _'Always keep the goal in mind. Don't study the trees and lose sight of the forest.' _That first game was played in silence; both of us too busy watching the others moves to bring up conversation. After five minutes the game might as well have been over, though it took ten more for it to finish. At the end I had five stones left on the board.

"That was an... intriguing... strategy."

I kept my eyes on the board, the unwanted memories forcing their way up._ My father placed the board on the kitchen table._ I picked up a black stone this time, taking the initiative, and placed it on the board. _'You are playing too much like chess, boy. This isn't chess.' _Stars said nothing as she began to place her own stones. _'You have to plan your moves, each stone must be placed with the goal in sight.' he closed the trap forcing me to remove six of my stones, 'Set your traps and let your opponent forget them.' _I trapped eight of her stones securing the top right corner of the board.

"You are a quick study Mr. Chronicle." She placed her white stone closing her trap around ten of my black stones.

'_You did very good for your first game.' he cleared the board placing the different stones back into their separate bags. 'Perhaps we will play again, but your mother wants to go see that new play opening tonight.' _The game ended with the same result, though I managed to control a portion of the board.

"That was much better. Who taught you how to play?"

"My father. He loved the game." I began separating the pieces into the different piles preparing for a third game. "If you don't mind me asking, you look very different from when I saw you the other day. What happened to your tattoos?"

"Oh that?" She gave a little smile. Her horn began to glow with a soft pink aura. A small hoofcloth floated out of her saddlebag and up to her face. With a few wipes of the cloth her maroon coat began to fade revealing a mass of black tattoos over top a pink fur coat.

"Make up?" I asked incredulously

"The tattoos tend to put ponies on edge. I find that when I don't want to draw attention to myself it is best to cover them up. Are you ready for another game?" Without waiting for a reply she picked up a black stone placing it on the board. "Was your father any good?"

I studied the nearly empty board before placing a white stone and replying, "He was a member of the club at the academy."

"Celestias' School for Talented Unicorns?"

"Yes, ma'am. He was a professor there, taught advanced meta-magic theories."

"Your father was Professor Archive?" The surprise in her voice was unexpected.

I nodded placing my next stone on the board. _'I'm sorry son, there was a fire. Your parents.. they didn't make it out.'_ I could feel the tears forming at the corner of my eyes; the painful memories that I had buried half a life ago began to surface. _I sat down heavily. 'Will you be alright?' I nodded slowly staring at nothing in particular. _The pain hit me like a bucking cowpony. _It was a nice service, a great many important ponies that I had never met before attended. They offered their condolences with a hoof on my shoulder. _I placed another stone on a board I could hardly see. _'Words writ upon a stone will never compare to those writ upon a heart'_

"Shuu, its okay." I heard her coo as she stroked my mane and held my head, my face buried in her fur. The tears caused her make up to smear onto my face. I must have looked ridiculous lying on the floor of my office; tears streaming from my eyes as I recounted the story of my parents passing in the beautiful early evening light of the setting sun. "Let it all out. It will be alright."

I ignored her advice as I struggled to compose myself, but it was no use. I choked on a few words before giving in and letting the tears flow. I don't know how long we sat like that, but eventually the tears dried up. I rubbed the last of the tears from my eyes and pulled away from the Arch-Magi.

"That was the last time you went outside." It wasn't a question.

"I can still go outside at night." Her eyebrow arched again, "... when it is very dark..." her accusing look didn't falter, "...and I keep my eyes on the ground in front of my hooves." I dropped my head in embarrassment, I had never actually admitted it to anypony before. Sure Mr. De'facto knew, and the princess knew, but I had never actually said it out loud.

How could I explain what its like to her? A mare who had been at the front lines and stared down death. How could she understand what its like for sad little scribe who can barely look out a window without shaking like a leaf.

She reached toward me, lifting my face in her hooves. I looked into her eyes for the first time, those bright green beautiful eyes. I can feel the blood rush to my face as I try and look away. "Look at you, cry in my arms for an hour unabashedly but a hoof on your cheek and you glow like a cherry." She scooted in closer. "I wonder how red you can get." My heart began to pound against my chest. I could feel her breath on my nose. A pink aura enveloped her horn as she leaned in touching her horn to mine.

I woke up in the morning to a mess of an office. There wasn't a single piece of paper on my desk, the floor was covered with them. I dropped the back of my head against the floor staring up at the ceiling. Every muscle in my body ached. I image that this is what it would feel like after running a marathon. I closed my eyes as I curled up into a ball. I wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week.

I didn't hear the hear the door open or the hooves clicking across the stone floor. I groaned when she poked me with her hoof and tried to curl into a smaller ball.

"Just five more minutes."

She laughed lightly, "Okay, five more minutes. But then you must be up, you have already slept through most of the day."

Such a wonderful voice. I listened to her horse shoes click across the floor as she left the room. I wonder who that was. It wasn't until the door closed that my brain decided to start working. I jumped to my hooves. Dear Celestia what did I just do? Ignoring the pain that shot across my body I sprinted to the door. Pulling it open I saw her standing there, her mane flowing in its ghost wind. I dropped to me knees.

"Your majesty, I am so sorry. I-I didn't-"

"Mr. Chronicle, I am surprised at you."

"I can explain, I-"

"You never struck me as such a mares stallion." I blinked up at her. _Her magic coursed through me as mine moved through her. I could feel her heart beat in time with mine. _"The Arch-Magi spoke very highly of you this morning." Her wolfish grin was more than a little disturbing. "I think you have earned a little time off. Take the day to yourself." She turned away and began making her way down the hallway. "And, Mr. Chronicle, if I find out that you filed even one report today I will be very displeased."

I watched her disappear around the first corner followed by the guards that I hadn't noticed until now. A day off? What was I going to do with a day off? I fell over and laid on my side half in the hallway half in my office. I had no idea what to do with a day off.

**Part 2: A Lost Scribe**

A day off? What could I possibly do with a day off? Sure I had had days were I didn't have to come into work, not that it had stopped me, but I had never been commanded not to work. I didn't dare ignore the princess' command. I don't know how, but I knew she would find out if I ignored her.

I laid there in the portal to my room for at least an hour hoping that the ache from last night would finally go away. It didn't of course. I finally gave up awaiting, maybe if I went for a walk I could work the soreness out.

There have been days in my life when a near perfect memory has been curse. This was not one of those days. If the memory of that night is the last thing I remember then I will pass away with a smile on my face.

I wandered the halls blindly, the seconds of last night playing out again and again in my mind. I am not ashamed to admit that it was my first time with a mare. I had never cared about such things before. They had never seemed important. My entire world had been work. I had always found all the pleasure I needed in my work. I had never understood why others didn't or couldn't do the same. I understood now. It finally made sense to me.

It didn't last, the euphoria, slowly fading away. When I finally slipped back into the real world I found myself in a hallway I didn't recognize. I turned all around hoping to find something I that would tell me where I was. My attempts not only failed miserably, but left me unsure which way I had come from; without any windows I did not even have a way to discern which direction I was heading.

I glanced down each hallway, to my eyes they were identical in every way. I spent a good five minutes studying each direction before giving up. With nothing to go on I turned right and started walking.

It wasn't too long before I began to feel that I had chosen the wrong way. The candle stands that lined the hallway had not been lit in a very long time. I found it necessary to use my magic to light my way. It was obvious that no pony had been down this way in a very long time. Even the cleaning the ponies had neglected it, I could see my hoof prints in the dirt on the floor. I don't know why I continued down the hallway. Boredom? Curiosity? Either way I didn't pause to consider it until I found the stairwell.

When I came to the stairs I stopped. Uncertainty finally found its way into my thoughts. I gazed back the way I had come and to my great surprise stars lined the ceiling and the walls just outside the aura of my light. I stared in wonder. The hallway behind me was lit as well as any in the castle. When I let the light from my horn go out the walls immediately around me lit up like the night sky. I could even make out some of the few constellations that I recognized. The stairwell was similarly lit by the artificial star light that illuminated the hallway.

My uncertainty vanished like a wisp of smoke, replaced by an overwhelming curiosity. The star light was too similar to the night scape that decorated my office in the evenings. I had wonder at it for awhile now, but I had never gotten around to asking the princess.

My hooves began to take me up the stairs before I realized I had made the decision. By the fiftieth step my uncertainty began to creep back into my mind. A dark stairwell, abandoned by the cleaning staff was not the best confidence builder. I prevailed, however, eventually coming to a large pair of doors.

I hesitated there for a moment admiring the details of the doors. They were crafted from a deep ebony, each intricately carved with the major constellations surrounding a crescent moon. The stars of the constellations gave off the same light as the stars from the hallway and stairwell. The crescent moon didn't so much give off its own light as reflect the light from the stars around it.

I placed my hoof on the right side door and pushed. The didn't budge so I pushed harder. When it didn't give I placed my other hoof on the door and put all my weight into it. I felt it move a fraction of an inch with a loud creek from rusty hinges. Stepping to the left I decide to try the other door. Again I placed both hooves on the door and gave it a mighty heave. The door flew in with a resounding boom and I fell forward banging my chin on the ground.

I opened my eyes and from my view at ground level I was left in a state of awe. The room was immaculate, not a single mot of dust in site. The room was filled with amazing decorations. A giant four post bed dominated the central wall of the octagonal room. On either side an ornate night stand held up a moonstone lamp that reflected the soft white glow from the ceiling stars. The other walls contained different pieces of bedroom furniture each holding a large number of small nick-nacks and personal effects.

I rose and stepped into the room. All the light in the room came from the diamond stars in the ceiling much like those in my office. The difference being that here the entire ceiling, not just a central dome, was filled with the little points of light. As I walked around the room, examining the different pieces of furniture I couldn't help but wonder what I was looking at. Everything here was undoubtedly beyond expensive, why would all this stuff be left here like this? Why was the passageway covered in dirt and grim as though it had been completely unused, yet the room was kept immaculate. I noticed a curtain on the third wall from the bed. Curiously I crossed the room to pull the curtain aside and my heart jumped into my throat.

I was looking across the central court yard straight at the princess standing out on her own balcony. She turned to me immediately. Even at that distance I could make out the look of horror plastered on her face. Before I could take two steps back the princess dropped onto the balcony in front of me. I fell backwards trying to escape from the enraged alicorn.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!"

"I-I-" I curled into a ball, holding my hooves up defensively.

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE!"

"Eeee-" I squeaked.

The princess glared down at me through her violet eyes and all I could do was shake uncontrollably. With my eyes closed tight I waited for the impending doom that never came. When I finally opened my eyes the princess had stepped past me and into the room. Twisting around to get back on my hooves I looked toward the princess. She sat with her back toward me in the center of the room, her head slunk between her shoulders.

"Uh, Y-your majesty?"

Her voice cracked as she spoke, "Please, would you.." she sniffed back a sob, "would you call me Celi... just once..." Turning her head I saw the tears in her eye.

"A-are you ok..." I swallowed, "Celi?"

For a split second a smile found its way to her lips, "I am sorry for how I acted, you didn't do anything wrong. I was out of line. Can you forgive me?"

"T-there is nothing to forgive, your maj- Celi."

"You don't even know where we are, do you?"

"No." I shook my head slowly, "I was wandering the castle and just sort of ended up here. I am sorry for upsetting you. If I had known-"

She wiped the tears from her eyes, "Don't be silly, you had no way of knowing." she let out a small sigh, "I would be surprised if any pony here remembered whom this room belongs to."

"If you don't mind me asking, you- Celi... who does this room belong to?"

The princess smiled a little and motioned for me to come closer. I sat down and looked up at her expectantly. I could see a moistness in her eyes as she began. I am sure that you have heard some version of this story by now, but this is how the princess told it to me.

**Part 3: Forgotten Memories**

"Her name is Luna. Luna Eveningstar, and she is my sister." She paused, the pain from the memories was obvious on her face.

"Your maj-"

She waved a hoof at me cutting me off. "I am okay, it has been a long time sense I told this to anypony." I waited while she collected herself. "It began a very long time ago. The two of us ruled Equestria together. I would raise the sun at dawn and she would raise the moon at night. For many years there was harmony. Until one morning she came to me just before I raised the sun..."

_'Tia, can we talk?'_

_ 'Of course little sister, what's on your mind?'_

_ She was quite for a moment, as though searching for the right words, 'Its just... Its just not fair!' Her voice was filled with pain and anger. 'All day long everypony works and plays. But when my night comes they flee to their beds.' Tears formed in her eyes._

_ 'Oh Lulu.' I wrapped a protective hoof around her neck and drew her in. 'I am sorry. I know how much work you put into the night sky. All those ponies are worse off for their habits. But that is the way of ponies.'_

_ 'Oh Tia, we could change that. We could make them appreciate it.' She said with such enthusiasm._

_ 'How would we do that, Lulu?' I almost laughed at the foal like excitment in her voice._

_ 'If we just let the night last, leave the moon and the stars for just one day...' There was a pleading in her eyes that I had never seen before, a quite desperation hiden behind the energy in her voice._

_ 'Not raise the sun? Oh Lulu, it would never work. The crops need the sun to grow, and the tides must change.' I tried to be kind, to let her down easy._

_ 'But, but...' I shook my head, it just wasn't possible. _

_That was the last heard of it for a month. I thought no more of it, believing it to be nothing more than a passing whim. How we blind ourselves to our families, we always see the best in them and ignore the signs of trouble.. The next time she brought it up things did not end so peacefully._

_She came to me at court, her personal guards at her sides. 'Princess Celestia, we request a private audience.'_

_I was taken aback. 'Lul... Luna? What is the meaning of this?'_

'_We would request a private audience Princess Celestia.'_

_I looked at my sister questioningly, 'Please, everypony, would you give us some privacy?' The noble ponies filed out of the Great Hall leaving the two of us alone, save for the guards and my apprentice._

_ She did her best to convince me that it was possible. That the plants and trees could be changed to survive in an extended night. She even demonstrated it with one of the plants decorating the walls. But the magic was too much, she almost fainted from exertion. I knew that there was no way for us to cast such a spell across all of Equestria. When I denied her a second time something changed in her. I still am not sure how she did it. She changed herself, now standing at equal height to me. Her dark blue coat becoming a midnight black. A helmet and armor plates now adorned her form and her eyes, no longer the beautiful teal eyes of my sister, were slitted like those of a dragons. _

She had to stop for a moment. The tears that had been forming in her eyes began to fall. I reached out and placed a hoof on her shoulder in comfort. She gave a small sniff and a little smile in appreciation before continuing.

_We fought then. We had had fights before, but nothing like this, this was different. Lightning flared from our horns, the castle walls shook and fell with the force of the magic we threw at each other. When it was over I could not stand on my own four hooves. Luna had to carry me away. Her transformation had made her so powerful, I was like a filly rebelling against her mother. If I had had the Elements of Harmony things would have been different, but she had hidden them away. I was locked away in the deepest dungeon of the castle. For a time I was trapped and Luna, Nightmare Moon now, ruled over Equestria. _

_I was rescued, by ponies who had remained loyal to me, I stepped out of the darkness into an Equestria in ruins. She had done it, changing all the plants to survive under a constant night. But winter had come when it should have been the height of summer. The crops were dying in the fields and ponies were starving. _

_When I confronted her she tried to use the Elements of Harmony against me, but whatever had caused her to change and broken her connection to them. It was a simple thing to take them from her. Even in defeat she would not give up. I tried to save her, to bring my little sister home. But she resisted._

The tears were pouring from her eyes now.

_Without her help even I could not use the Elements to their full potential. I could not brake the enchantment, I had no choice. So I sent her away. Not to a dungeon, no, I sent her to the only place where she could do no more harm. The only place where she would be safe. The only place where she could be happy._

"That morning was the summer solstice, and the first Summer Sun Celebration. It was also the first time that I had to raise the moon in my sisters stead, and the first time that I cried myself to sleep."

We sat there for a long time, the princess fighting the tears of long forgotten memories and me doing my best to comfort her. When the tears finally stopped we sat in silence looking out the balcony at the moon shinning in the night sky. I worked at processing the story, I had heard it before as a foal or rather I had heard the pony-tale version. Like most ponies I had believed Nightmare Moon to be nothing more then a ghost story. Something mothers used to scare their foals. I looked up at the princess, her eyes red from crying and I saw a very different pony than I had before. She was still the regal princess that she had always been, but now... now I saw the truth behind the mask. Royal and powerful she might be, but she was still a pony. She had regrets and made mistakes, but more importantly she loved and needed love in return. For as long as she had lived she had had her sister, a constant companion. To have that ripped away, to then live for a thousand years knowing that everypony around her would age and die while she lived on. I could not imagine what she has been through.

"I am so sorry." It was all I could say. She gave me a little smile and turned back to the moon. There were many things that I did not understand; what were the elements of harmony, how had the princess fixed the plants, the result of my analytical mind. But there was only one that bothered me enough to ask. "Can I ask you a question... Celi?"

"Yes?"

"Its just that you said this room was Princess Lunas, but how could that be? This castle isn't nearly old enough for her to have ever been here."

"That is very astute of you and you are right of course. Her last act before I... before I sent her away was to curse the woods around our home in Everfree. I had this castle built and this room is for her, I salvaged everything of hers I could find and moved them all here. It is an exact replica of her old room. I have kept it ready for when she comes home." Before I could say anything she stood up and walked out on to the balcony. "I suggest you head off to bed. It will be a busy day tomorrow and you have a great deal of work to catch up on." And with that she leaped out landing gracefully on the opposite balcony that lead to her room and disappeared behind the curtain.

It was not difficult to find my way back to my bed, the forgotten hallway did not have any off shoots until I reached a corridor I recognized. Sleep was a different matter. Too much had happened in the last few days, too many unanswered questions were floating around in my head. I know that I fell asleep at some point, but I doubt that I got more than an hours rest before I had to be back to work.

(Bibliography: Celestia memories were inspired by the wonderful story "Night Guards" By Raugos.)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: A Scribe and the Sky**

**Part 1: A Loss of Decorum**

I began everyday here, outside the Princess' study, awaiting that surge of magic to tell me the Sun was on the rise. That morning I struggled, and failed, to prevent a yawn from escaping my lips. The last two days had not been kind to me. Between sleeping in til noon and staying up til almost morning I hadn't been able to get any real sleep.

With a heavy thump I found myself sitting on the floor after a wave of fatigue washed over me. I was too tired to care and accepted my new seat on the floor. My head dangled listlessly between my shoulders. It was a losing battle just to keep my eyes open. I probably should not have come in, I didn't see how I could possibly be of any use without a decent nap.

I sat there, almost motionless until something moved across my ear. My hoof moved of its own accord to wipe it away. A moment later I felt something softly caressing my face and I tried to wipe away the tingling sensation that it left in its wake. It was like a gnat floating around my face. Whenever it landed my hoof would move to wipe it off only to have it return a few seconds later somewhere else. I began to get annoyed at the pest, but before I did anything else a wave of magic exploded from the room.

The force of the magic was like a jolt of lightning coursing through my body. My fatigue gave way to the rush of adrenaline speeding through my system. The two guards on either side of the door smiled at me as I walked past into the Princess' study. It was the first time that I had seen anything that even resembled emotion out of any one of them, it should have been my first clue. I also thought I heard one nickering as the door closed behind me, which should have been my second clue. The Princess' reaction when she came in from the balcony was the only one I picked up on.

She tried to stifle the laugh behind a hoof for all the good it did. I just stood there too confused and too tired to process what was going on. The princess walked over to a side-table and brought a small hoof-mirror out of its drawer. She floated it out in front of my face. I looked at the reflection staring back at me. I remember thinking for a moment that it was broken, I didn't recognize the white pony with bags under his eyes. It wasn't until I reached up with my hoof to wipe the dirty mirror that everything clicked into place. A smear of whipped cream streaked across the reflective surface. I looked at my hoof finally noticing the white substance covering it. When I wiped my face a large glob of it came away to reveal the tan fur beneath it. I turned to the door and saw a trail of the confection leading back out into the hallway. When the realization dawned on my face the Princess, unable to hold it in anymore, began to laugh out loud. I blame the lack of sleep and general fatigue for what I did next.

"Ah, crap."

"Nugh..."

I smiled to myself until the guardponies charged into the room with the remnants of banana cream pies dripping from their faces. I almost didn't see the balloon in time to dodge. It missed me by millimeters instead exploding when it hit the Princess' face. Everything stopped, my eyes wide in horror as drops of water fell to the floor. The look of shock on her face did not last long. She is a much better shot than I would have expected.

Diving behind the couch did me no good as the magically conjured cream pie crashed into my flank. The guards had no better luck, each taking a well placed shot as they dove for what cover they could find. Then all hell broke loose.

Cream pies and water balloons flew through the air. Between the two combat trained guards and the Princess I felt very out-hoofed.

I did my best to catch any incoming projectiles and return them with a vengeance, I even succeeded once or twice. My earlier fatigue was lost in the excitement as cream pies and water balloons exploded around me.

I dove from chair to table to desk launching pies as I broke from cover. When I managed to hit one of the enemy combatants I felt a surge of excitement. These were always short lived, however, ending with the inevitable counter strike from one of the other ponies. I even managed to sneak up on the Princess once. The opportunity was almost wasted when a sliver of doubt delayed my onslaught long enough for the Princess to notice me. I managed to dodge her hasty toss and retaliated with my five pie barrage, three of which struck home. This didn't save me from the water balloons that came flying from behind one of the bookshelves.

In the last seconds of the conflict the guard ponies and I teamed up against the Princess. We launched a simultaneous strike from all directions, cream pies arced through the air. When all the projectiles suddenly stopped in mid-flight I felt my jaw drop. It ended with the three of us covered from head to hoof in cream pies. We blinked up at the Princess as she stood triumphantly on her desk. The three of us shared a glance before bowing in defeat.

"In recognition of your valour under fire I shall spare you all." She intoned in a haughty voice with her nose up in the air. We managed to hold ourselves together until a blob of cream dropped from her chin onto the desk with an audible plop.

**Part 2: A Detour**

After the fight was over and her room had been cleaned the Princess sent me off. There were no appointments for that day and with no other pressing business to attend to my only task for the day was to catch up on the reports that had piled up on my desk. I was desperately in need of a bath however, so I took a detour to the wash rooms.

Six rather large bathtubs lined the walls of this particular wash room. Fresh towels and wash cloths were stacked on the little tables next to each of the sparkling porcelain tubs. A variety of soaps and oils were made available for anypony to use. I contented myself with a basic soap. I never felt the need to fill any room I entered with the scent of roses, all it ever did was make me hungry.

A Washer-mare entered wearing a harness with two buckets of steaming bath water. She gave me a kind, if slightly annoyed, smile and set to work filling one of the tubs. It took her three trips to fill the tub to its proper volume. I thanked her for the assistance and waited for her to leave before I stepped into the tub. I felt fortunate that I had chosen an empty room. Regardless of how ridiculous it was I have never been comfortable bathing around other ponies, especially mares.

I lowered myself slowly into the steaming water and instantly felt better. The soothing heat of the water worked its way into my fur and was slowly absorbed by my muscles. I hadn't realized how tense I was. The ache from the other night was the first to go. I found that the soreness hadn't actually gone anywhere, I had simply gotten used to it. For the first few seconds the pain returned, compounded by the exertion of the earlier battle. As it seeped out I felt my legs finally relax to the point that I don't think I could have gotten myself out of the tub if I had wanted to. The stress that I had been carrying around for the past week was the next to fall victim to the soothing waters. My entire body went weak as muscles that had been tensed for days finally let go. I allowed myself to drift off as the warmth of the bath replaced my worries.

I was in that magical land between being asleep and awake. I started off innocently enough, relaxing at my desk with a pile of paper work in front of me. When a took in a large breath I was surprised when I caught a whiff of perfume that I felt I should know. The scent continued to grow until I felt a pair of hooves press against my back. I looked up into a heavily tattooed face wearing a loving smile. I smiled back at her until she began working her hooves into my shoulders. I moaned, losing control of my neck and dropping my head between my shoulders. When I looked back up I found myself sitting on a sandy beach.

I marvelled at Celestia's sun burning brightly. The sparse clouds in the sky changed shapes as they were pushed around by the winds. I watched in awe as the sun began to move below the horizon. The sky changing from blue to purple now red then orange. As the last rays of sunlight began to dip behind the horizon Stars pointed toward the sun. A flash of green bloomed across the sky painting the clouds for the briefest moment. Without warning she gripped my chin and the back of my head.

**POP!**

I awoke with a cry trying to escape the tub, but the hooves around my neck held me back. I struggled against my captor terrified of being pushed under. Water went everywhere as I thrashed around unable to escape the tub.

"Now now Mr. Chronicle, calm down." A familiar voice whispered in my ear. "You are ruining all of my hard work."

I stopped fighting and looked up to see that same lovely face staring down at me through a mask of tattoos. My rising panic fell away as she softly caressed my cheek. I suddenly noticed that a kink in my neck that I hadn't even been aware of before was gone. I tried to say something but she stopped me with a hoof to my lips and went back to massaging the last of the knots out of my shoulders.

"I am pleased that I found you. I wasn't sure that I would get a chance to say good-bye."

"Good-bye? Wh..." I twisted to face her, or rather I tried, but she held me fast.

"Oh, don't worry your little egg-shaped head. There are operations that require my personal attention. I will be leaving in the morning."

The morning? That gave me most of a day. Only I was already a day behind in my duties. I had never had this dilemma before.

"Maybe, if you are not too busy, I will stop by for one more game." A shiver shot down my spine. "Don't disappoint me."

She was wearing her SRSC uniform as she walked away with an odd sway that caused my heart to hammer against my ribs. The door opened before her to reveal two similarly dressed unicorns standing on either side of the portal. She whispered something to them drawing stiff salutes. When she turned to walk out of view I noticed something. Her face seemed different somehow. I do not think I could adequately describe the change, but in that moment I had the most important realization of my life.

Our relationship would never be like other ponies. We were both already married to our careers. Anything we had together would be little more than a temporary escape. A reprieve from the lives we had chosen. In that moment I knew that I could never ask her to lay down her sword and that I would never be willing to put away my quill.

**Part 3: A Dream of the Sky**

It was still early in the morning when I made it to my office. The decor matched the brightness of the day and made it difficult to fall asleep at my desk. But that didn't stop it from happening.

I should tell you that the Princess only holds open court, where any pony can voice their concerns directly to her, about once every other month. The rest of the time it is part of my job to handle any prospective petitioners and only schedule them for an audience if their problem requires the Princess' direct intervention. Generally these meetings are held in the Princess' study and only get moved to the Great Hall when there are more than a hoof full of ponies in attendance, such as when the Pegasus Enclave visits to discuss the next years weather forecast. This remains the most frustrating part of my job. I am constantly amazed at the gall of some ponies.

"I must see Princess Celestia!" The unicorn shouted as he burst through the doors of my office.

My head shot up off of my desk causing me to lose balance. I flailed wildly trying to grab a hold of something to keep from falling backwards, but only managed to throw most of the contents of my desk into the air. I crashed onto my backside banging my head against the stone floor. This reawakened the pounding headache I had developed from using so much magic that morning.

I struggled desperately to reclaim the wonderful dream I had been having, but it was gone before I could save even a single second. Giving up on the lost cause I began collecting the reports that were scattered about the floor. I gave a snort when I saw my ink bottle half empty on the floor. levitating it I cringed as my head began to pound that much harder.

"Did you not here me? I must speak with the princess immediately."

I wasn't at all sure how to react to the pony on the other side of my desk, so I didn't. I focused on re-sorting my reports and documents, cleaning up the ink stains, and trying to remember what I had been doing before I had fallen asleep.

"How dare you ignore me! Do you know who I am?"

I finally turned my gaze to the unicorn glaring at me. His mane was a dark black, a black that is only achieved with a great deal of dye, and expertly styled with not one hair out of place. His yellow coat was immaculately groomed, the smell of the spa filled the air between us. He wore a monocle in front of his right eye with a golden chain attached to the pocket of his suit. His blue suit looked like any other suit to my eye, though I am sure it was extremely expensive.

"Now that I have your attention..."

I didn't hear what he said next because my attention was drawn to the pony standing in the open doorway. Commandant Night Runner was staring at me over the other pony's shoulder. I could read the disapproval in his expression, but more importantly was the silent encouragement in his eyes. He was mouthing something that took me a moment to understand. When I finally figured out what he was trying to say it hit me like a slap to the flank. I turned my attention back to the unicorn who was still talking and leveled my best glare at him. It took a moment for him to take notice and when he did his rant petered out like a dammed river.

"I do not know who you are. But more importantly I do not care. I am very busy and I am very tired. So unless somepony is dying or the world is coming to an end the next words out of your muzzle had better be an apology." My tail began to twitch with nervous energy. I could feel the sweat beading around my hooves as my right fore-hoof vibrated on its own. I had no idea what I was doing, but the pony in front of me recoiled at the sudden change in my demeanour. Its amazing how much courage exhaustion can give a pony. "And then, because whatever you have to say obviously isn't important you can turn yourself around and get the buck out of my office."

"Y-yes sir. Sorry sir." The pony backed away without bothering to look behind himself. When the Commandant snorted into the back of his meticulously crafted mane the poor unicorn jumped and darted out of the office.

The Commandant closed the door with a swift buck and I dropped my head to my desk. The adrenaline rushed out of my system and left me feeling tired and drained. I had to work at slowing my breath back to a normal pace and keeping my eyes open. When I finally brought my head back up I saw the Commandant sitting patiently opposite me with a mirthful grin painted across his muzzle.

"Ha ha, you had me worried there for a moment. Thought you were going to let him railroad you."

"Dear Celestia, what did I just do?"

"Ha, exactly what she would have wanted. I can't wait to tell her about it, she will be so proud."

"Proud? How can you say that? I just told somepony, who is in all likely hood very important and influential, to go buck himself!"

"Look, that pony, whoever he was, stormed into your office and began making demands. What do you think would happen if he tried to do that to the Princess?"

"I don't know."

"I'll tell you what. He would find out why the Sun rises at her command. And why should it be any different with you?" I didn't have an answer so I just shrugged. "Listen, I have already told you that you are only one step below the princess. When she takes a day to herself who do you think is going to be in charge around here? You are." He said pointing a hoof at my muzzle. "You can't let other ponies try to intimidate you. That is a fine precedent you have just set and within a day every noble will have heard about it. At the very least none of them will try that again."

I was too tired to try to argue with him about the logic of his assertions. Plus I had a nagging feeling that he was right. My head slumped again, I really needed to get some sleep.

"You look terrible." I nickered, too tired to do more, "Did Stars keep you up all night again."

I sat up with a jolt, my face contorted in horror. "Wh-what?"

"Celestia be praised, it is true isn't it?"

"I-I don't know what your talking about." I said trying to down play my reaction and knowing it was a waste of effort.

"You stallion you. I don't believe it."

I buried my head under a pile of papers trying to ignore the white pegasus in front of me.

"I didn't really listen when I heard Lancer and Horsehock neighing on about the Arch-Magi having stallion, I had her picked out as a fillyfooler anyways, but when they mentioned Celestia's new assistant I knew they had to be pulling my reins." This was the first time I had to resist the urge to hoof the Commandant in the muzzle, though it wouldn't be the last. "Oh, grow up. You act like this is the end of the world. This is a good thing"

I looked up at him through my paper cave, sarcasm dripping from my voice, "Pray tell how this is a good thing."

"Well between this and your little food fight with the princess you are becoming the talk of the barracks."

"Please tell me you didn't just come here to dig into my _private _life." I said, desperately trying to change the subject.

"No, you're right. I have business with you." I yawned heavily into my hoof. "You see..." He droned on, but I was quickly losing consciousness.

It wasn't until five minutes later my eyes shot open, "THE TRAINING YARD?!"

I don't know how I managed it, but I did. The reports that had piled up from the day before were all stacked neatly in the out box along with a good chunk of the new ones. I know I fell asleep a number of times along the way, but it was hardly enough to make up for how much I had lost.

As the sun set and my office began to glow in the silvery starlight I knew that I was done for the day. I let out a whinny in resignation and packed up my desk for the night. With one last look at the too full inbox on my desk I closed the door and headed for my bed.

I felt like a zombie-pony walking the candle lit halls. My gait was unsteady, swaying from side to side. Anypony that saw me probably thought I was drunk. At least I didn't have to see their accusing stares as my eyes were barely open. I don't actually remember making it to my room. But I remember pushing open the door and stepping into the darkness. I also remember a single candle flaring to life next to my bed, a candle that I didn't light.

Never before had I slept so soundly. The entire night I had the most wondrous dreams too. Alas, dreams are but dreams and every night must end. I opened my eyes to the total darkness of my quarters.

I could just make out the nightstand beside my bed. 'The Adventures of Daring Do and the Dragons Tooth' with twenty or so strips of paper sticking out the side sat next to a silver candle stick. One does not grow up with a Phoenix Prize winning mother and not pick up an interest in fiction novels. It has been my habit for years to read the most popular stories and find the flaws and breaks in continuity. I never bothered the authors with my findings. Not after the first time I read one of my mothers manuscripts. I felt so bad about that, it was a good story after all, but a day later she threw it away and started a whole new book. I wasn't allowed to read them anymore.

I moved to roll out of bed only to be pulled deeper in. Two hooves were wrapped around my chest, not unlike a foal holds a teddy bear. I tried one more time, but that only cause her grip to tighten making it hard for me to breath. She snuggled in closer burying her face in my mane.

I gave up trying to leave. I feared that if she squeezed any tighter it would crack my ribs and I was unwilling to wake her up. Besides, I had a good two hours before the sun was due to rise. Resigning myself I relaxed and closed my eyes. I laid there and allowed myself to simply feel her presence. The slow rhythm of her heart matched my own. Her chest rose and fell against my back in the even pace of a deep sleep. I became suddenly aware of her scars. It was odd that I had not noticed them before. There were so many of them just beneath her fur.

Not for the first time I thought about how backwards we were. She was the battle hardened commander. The warrior fighting Minotaurs and Manticores. Risking her life to save those she lead. And I was a scribe. I spent all day reading books and signing reports. Too afraid to even step a hoof outside the castle walls. And yet here she was, laying next to me, holding me in a vice grip. I stopped thinking for once and let the beating of her heart and the sound of her breath lull me back to sleep.

I once again stood on the sandy beach looking out to the ocean. The waves pulling the water out just to throw it back at the shore, coming within inches of my hooves but never quite reaching. I was about to lay down when I felt her head press against my neck. Nudging me softly she turned me away from the water and we began to walk down the shore.

I filled my lungs with the salty sea air. It was so much different than what I was used to. The ocean shrank turning into a small stream. I saw a small white and pink bridge up ahead decorated with pink hearts. We crossed it and followed the path into a quiet little town. It wasn't until we left the town that we finally came to a stop. The forest before us was dark and twisted almost corrupted. For the first time I began to worry. I did not like the look of those trees.

That all melted away when she stepped closer bringing us flank to flank. When she took a step forward I matched her stride unwilling to lose that contact. As we wandered into the woods the air began to fill with the sounds of animals that I had never heard before. I saw glowing eyes watching us from the shadows. For all that I felt safer than I had ever felt in the palace. It wasn't until we came to a dilapidated rope bridge that I realized where I was. The Everfree Forest.

I could see the ruins of an old castle across the chasm. Shattered spires reached for the sky and broken walls lay scattered across the forest floor. I looked at my companion, concern etched into my features. She only smiled and pointed, not at the castle, but at the chasm before us. I followed her hoof as she turned around and pointed at the trees behind us. It wasn't until she reared up and with her two fore-hooves motioned to the stars and moon above that I realized what she had been trying to show me. I was outside.

A cold breeze across my back brought me out of my dreams. I immediately sat up and looked around the room, worried that I had missed my chance. My eyes fell upon her only a few feet from the bed working her self into her SRSC uniform. I sighed in relief, there was still time.

"It was not my intention to disturb your slumber. You still have time before the Princess requires your attendance."

I looked out the tiny window as I stood, about an hour till sunrise. "Do you have to leave now?"

There was a tinge of disappointment in her voice, "Chronicle..."

"I m-mean can you st-stay a little longer?"I gritted my teeth, fighting the stutter. "J-just till the afternoon?"

She stood there for a moment with an unreadable expression. When she finally closed the distance between us she asked "Why?"

I was silent, unable to meet her eyes. I don't know why this was so hard for me. She lifted my head forcing me to look into her eyes. "Tell me."

"The Commandant came to see me yesterday..." I told her everything. I told her about the gossip, about Nightrunner wanting me to meet his guards; then I told her about my dream, about the beach and the small town, about the Everfree forest and the castle ruins. "...I can't do this alone."

**Part 4: Under the Noonday Sun**

My hooves pounded on the stone floor echoing down the halls. I felt my saddlebags beating against my flank only held on by a single strap. My heart raced and my lungs burned as I sped toward my goal. I ground my teeth silently every time I came upon another pony, having to slow down to a fast trot until I was clear. The night sky was beginning to brighten and I refused to be late again.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that I wasn't going to make it. I ignored it the same way I ignored the burning in my legs and chest. I began to wonder what had happened to my simple boring life. I liked boring, boring wasn't nearly as painful. It was then that I realized I was smiling. My entire body burning from exertion, the constant fear of failing eating away in the back of my mind, and I was SMILING.

The thought distracted me enough that I didn't slow down in time to make the next turn. Instead I slid across the stone tiles crashing bodily into a windowsill. Slightly dazed I had to shake my head to clear my vision. With a glance out the window I saw the first rays of sunlight break the horizon.

"Horse apples!" I took off running down the final stretch to the Princess' study.

When the pegasus guards spotted me careening down the hall they quickly assumed defensive postures and prepared to repel the advancing threat. Quickly deciding that I liked my teeth and bones I put on the brakes as best I could. My hooves and hind quarters slid across the floor a good five yards before coming to a complete stop. I gave them my best smile, which honestly wasn't very good, and prayed that they recognized me. I let go of a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding once they visibly relaxed. Without a word they opened the door and motioned for me to enter.

I moved through the open portal and stepped into the room only to find the Princess sitting behind her desk. She looked down at me staring over a pair of half-frame glasses that I had never seen before, or since. She looked nothing so much like a disapproving teacher preparing to scold a tardy student.

The Princess finally broke eye contact, "Are you ready to begin?"

"Y-yes, your majesty." I floated the brown folder out of my saddlebags. "The Chef has requested an increase in the weight of leeks ordered for next month. Mrs. Ladle seems to believe that they are a vital part of a ponies diet that has been severely lacking of late. However, the increase she is suggesting would require cutting into the funds for other food stuffs."

The Princess looked up at me with an odd tilt in her head, "I am sure that Ladle knows what she is about."

I nodded sheepishly making notes in my folder,"The Commandant is requesting permission to begin a new academy in preparation for a number of retirements expected later this year."

"How many young colts is he requesting?"

"Twenty, your majesty."

"He can have ten."

We moved through my folder like clockwork. The only issues I brought to her attention were ones that changed or required her direct approval. I checked items off my lists and made notes next to any item that she wanted altered.

"Finally, Ambassador Kara has informed me that she received a reply from the Emperor and believes that you will now be able to reach an agreement. She seeks an audience this evening."

"Ask her to meet me here just after sunset. I will expect you to be here as well."

"Yes, your majesty." I bowed stepping back towards the door. She waited until I had turned my back about to step out the door to speak up.

"And, Mr. Chronicle, the next time you see the Arch-Magi please inform her that although I do not mind her making use of my assistant she is not to keep him from his duties."

"Urk." My jaw moved up and down, but no intelligible sound came out. I was frozen solid, except for my face which burned like a Celestia's Sun. I was filled with an overwhelming desire to be anywhere else, preferably somewhere no other pony would ever find me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the two pegasus guards on either side of the doorway, their heads bobbing ever so slightly as they did their best not to laugh.

WHAM!

My head spun around at the heavy crash behind me. Four golden horse shoes stuck up in the air where Princess Celestia had previously been sitting. When the laughter burst out from the floor behind the desk my embarrassment turned to anger. With an angry snort I lifted my head high into the air and stomped my way out of the room. This of course only lead to the guards falling over with laughter.

I stepped into my office and slammed the door breathing heavily. I had galloped here the moment I was out of sight of the guards. I stared around the room taking in the familiarity of the surroundings. In the past weeks I had spent more time in this room than anywhere else. The desk had served more times as a pillow than my pillow. I breathed a sigh of relief, peace and quiet at last.

A large pile of papers overflowed from my inbox signalling that Zipp had already been by with his morning delivery by the time I smiled, finally something to distract me from the days... stresses. I plopped down behind my desk and pulled out my quill and ink ready to begin my day.

I knew the wonderful morning of reports and paperwork wouldn't last forever. That didn't make the hoof-knock on my door any less depressing. Of course the muzzle pushing itself between the doors banished every other thought from my mind.

"Hello Stars." I said with a smile

She shot me with a gaze that told me I had crossed a line causing my smile to wither and die. She stepped in wearing her SRSC uniform with the same stiff movements I had seen on my first day in the Great Hall. Immediately behind her Commandant Nightrunner stepped in wearing his red and gold uniform with silver buttons running down his chest.

"Good afternoon Commandant."

The ghost of a smile crossed his lips, "Are you ready Chronicle?"

I wanted to hide my face behind my hoof. He had heard me and he was smart enough to notice the tension in the air. I wasn't even sure what I had done, but it was going to bite me in the flank. Stars was not happy, Nightrunner would not let me live it down, and Princess Celestia already seemed to delight in embarrassing me. I had lost, I don't know what game it was or who I was playing, but I had definitely lost. I nodded in acceptance of my fate, both immediate and future.

Flanked by two of the most decorated war ponies in Equestria I felt very small and weak. My eyes kept flicking to Silent Stars, hoping in vain to catch her glancing back. I was not surprised that she didn't. When we came to the final door that lead out to the training yard Nightrunner stepped through and closed the door behind himself, leaving me alone with Silent Stars.

Her eyes softened immediately as she nuzzled me and whispered softly, "Be brave."

A quick knock on the door signaled that the time had come. A soft pink glow surrounded the door and pulled it open. Stars motioned me forward with a nod of pride. Taking one last calming breath I stepped through the open doorway into the light of the afternoon sun.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: A Scribe Listens**

I met most every guardspony in the palace that afternoon. To my amazement they acted nothing like what I had grown to expect from my years at the castle. Though a small number maintained the facade most did not. Out there with no pony around save for me and other guards they went from being the stoic guardians of the palace to little more than rambunctious colts and fillies. All the words and emotions that they had stored away when on duty poured out as they trained and practiced, it was a cacophony of laughter and curses.

The Commandant introduced me to a small number of ranking guards, none of whom I would be able to identify after we parted, before excusing himself for a meeting. It would be an odd stretch to say I met any individual guards that day, I still hadn't learned to tell them apart. They met me, however, and that was what counted. They now had a face to put to the stories that their comrades had been spreading. To my surprise most of them were excited to meet me and bombarded me with questions. I stuttered and stammered my way through only by the grace of Stars.

For the entire two terrifying hours that I spent outside she was my constant companion. Never leaving my side, always just a half step behind me, my bulwark against the tides of fear that threatened to drown me. If not for her presence I would have been nothing but a shaking pile of pony fur. Her support was more than just being there physically. She began teaching me skills that I would come to rely on for the rest of my life.

When I first heard her voice instructing me I did not realize that the words hadn't passed through my ears. As it turns out the SRSC developed a specialized telepathy spell that shows no outward signs of magic use. So without allowing anypony else to know she taught me to observe others and to read them like books. This was the first of many lessons to come that would lead me down the path I walked. By the end of the afternoon training, both mine and the guards, I was exhausted in every way a pony can be.

"I have responsibilities that demand my attention and I can tarry no longer." I didn't know what to say. I could never ask her to stay, but I did not want her to go. I settled for nodding solemnly. "I will be returning in a month and when I do we will have much to discuss." I got the feeling that this would not be an entirely pleasant reunion. I was already impatient for this month to end. "Be strong, be vigilant, and serve well."

She strutted down the empty hallway with a distinctly feminine sway that brought back late night memories. I watched her as two other unicorns wearing identical SRSC uniforms seemed to appear out of nowhere and fell into step at her flanks. I continued to watch until they turned a corner and disappeared from sight. I stood there until a hoof tap startled me out of my revelry.

"Who... what... Oh, hi Zipp."

The rust colored pegasus grinned up at me. "Hey mister Chronicle hope you've had a good day so far Cause it's about to change Petunia Blueblood is waiting for you in your office and she doesn't look pleased But I have never seen her pleased so I wouldn't know what that looks like Sorry to be the one to tell you but I thought you could use the heads up Well GTG see you later."

He disappeared down the same hallway before his words finished processing in my head. I won't deny that I made use of a few the curses that I had heard out in the training yard. Of all the ponies that I didn't want to deal with she was on the top of my list. She may be Celestias daughter in-law, but that didn't mean I had to like her.

I sighed at the sight of my office doors sitting slightly ajar, I really needed to talk to the Princess about getting a key for the lock. I took a moment to brace myself for the oncoming storm. There was no way that this was going to be a happy day. I stepped into the office wearing my best smile.

"Lady Blueblood, what a wonderful surprise to find you here. I trust you are having a splendid afternoon." I half-bowed when I stepped into the room.

"Mr... Chronicle is it?" I nodded, maintaining my smile. "I am told that you are the Princess' new assistant. I decided to come by to congratulate you on your new position."

I finished moving around the snow white unicorn and positioning myself behind my desk. Sitting down I finally allowed myself to look her in the face. I had no doubt that she was in no way here to welcome me. The smile painted across her face didn't extend to her eyes anymore than mine did, though she did pull it off far more convincingly. I didn't know what she wanted, but her usual approach had been to simply bully her way through everypony she met.

"Are you new to the castle? I don't believe I have ever seen you before." I felt a pang of irritation at this, besides having been in the castle for a almost a decade longer than her I had been forced to work for her on multiple occasions.

"That is not surprising, I tend to keep my head down." I motioned to the papers piled on my desk. "The work never seems to end." I hoped she would take the hint.

She didn't. "You seem to be settling in quite nicely. I hope no pony has been trying to bully you around. Some ponies here tend to be more than a little pushy and will overstep their stations if given the chance."

"Yes, I have had a few... encounters." I brought out my ink bottle and quill. I knew she wouldn't take this hint either, but I tried.

She nodded in understanding, "Well I see you have work to get back to," Oh, she had noticed, "I'll just leave this with you and you can get to it whenever you have the time." She floated out a scroll placed it lightly on the desk.

The smile dropped from my face. My eyes flicked between her and the scroll sitting upon my desk. Time slowed. I could see the muscles in her neck tighten as she began to turn away. My experiences from the past weeks seemed to crash down on me all at once. The advice of Nightrunner gave me the words, the soothing voice of Silent Stars steadied my nerves, and the expectations of the Princess bolstered my courage

"No."

Her smile dropped and the left side of her face twitched. "What?!"

"I said, 'No'"

"How..." Her surprise slid away replaced by a tinge of anger. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, _Lady_ Blueblood, I know who you are. I know you are the widow of the Princess' adopted son and mother to his colt. I know that she holds no great love for you and that you are only allowed to stay for the sake of the foal. Now if you will excuse me I have work to do. Good day, _Lady_ Blueblood."

I did not revel in her impotent rage. I actually felt more than a little bad about it. They were cruel and hurtful words. I considered apologizing, even a pony like her deserves some amount of respect. Words have incredible power and once said they can never be taken back. So I stayed my tongue and waited as she fumed silently.

Lady Blueblood turned with a harumph and a toss of her mane. With head held high she made her exit. A deep blue aura enveloped the door and slammed it shut with an audible finality. That was the last sound I heard as I sat and processed what I had done. Unlike similar situations I wasn't worried about immediate consequences from the Princess. I was confident that she wouldn't hear about this meeting. I was worried about the impact this meeting would have on a wholly separate level. I realized that I was playing a game of stones and I had just made a very stupid move.

==Chronicle==

Everypony knows the story of Hearths Warming Eve. Three ponies came together in friendship and banished the wendigos, saving all ponykind. What most ponies don't know is that the unity they formed that night in that cave did not last even one generation.

It did not take long for old prejudices to resurface and begin to wear away the bonds of the newly formed confederacy. This was when Discord struck. Not with a sudden rush of force, but with whispers and lies. He worked on the ponies of every race, leaders and peasants alike. It was only when he had buried the discontent deep into their souls that he revealed himself and began to play his games.

It is one of the great ironies that the spirit of chaos does nothing by whim. Discord knew of the Princesses living in Everfree. He feared that they would seek to stop him and so sowed the seeds of discontent to ensure that even with his defeat ponies would still live in chaos. If he could not have his fun then no one would.

Up to this point the Princesses had been content to stay out of the affairs of other ponies. They feared that the ponies would not understand them and see them as beings approaching, if not actual, gods and they had no desire to be worshiped. But with the appearance of Discord they could not sit idly by. Not a match for Discord on their own they brought the Elements of Harmony to bear.

It was not until after defeating the spirit of chaos and imprisoning him in stone that they discovered the extent of the damage he had wrought. Left to themselves the ponies would never be able to unite under a single banner. They needed a symbol to unite them, to give them common cause. With great reluctance the Princesses stepped forward to be that symbol. A great many ponies accepted the Princesses and swore loyalty. Others... others did not and there was war.

Hundreds died in the short lived civil war. Princess Celestia took these deaths especially hard. It is said that she would walk the battlefields offering what aid she could to the wounded. She would cry over the bodies of the dead, both friend and foe. The war wounded her to the point that she swore to do everything in her power to prevent another.

Her aversion to war has colored every decision she has made since. She became the penultimate politician for no other reason than to prevent another one. When it came to Princess Luna's rebellion she chose to allow herself to be imprisoned rather than call upon her loyal subjects to rise against her sister. And when it comes to other countries she will break a government to prevent a war.

==Chronicle==

I placed my final stone with a satisfied grin. We had been playing for almost three hours. Control of the board changed hooves more times than I cared to count. It was finally over and it was going to be close. I tallied up my points, eighty four. My smile faltered, my ears drooped. One point, one single stone stood between me and victory. I looked across the board at my opponent and the hat, my hat, slid over my ear.

"That was a wonderful game." She smiled at me, a touch of pride shining in her golden eyes. When I reached up to readjust my hat she stopped me. "Leave it, it makes you look dashing."

I blushed profusely at the compliment. Until I met her I had never really had a reason to blush. Now it was happening on a daily basis. If she was away the guards and Princess Celestia more than made up for her absence. Fortunately that is as far as it had gotten. The guards were, and are, notoriously closed mouth around other ponies and the Princess was kind enough to only poke at me in private.

Knock! Knock!

I looked at the door behind Stars and then to the new clock taking up way too much space on my desk, the Princess has an odd sense of humor. I knew who was behind the door and I was very nervous about this meeting.

"I see you have company. I should take my leave, I wouldn't want to impose." She gave me a look of mock jealousy and irritation; I was getting good at reading ponies, especially her.

"No, I would like you to stay." I said in a very neutral voice. "You don't have to do anything, but your presence may be of use." With the help of Nightrunner I had learned a great deal about containing emotions and controlling my facial expressions. It didn't do anything for the turmoil in my mind, but it hid it from other ponies.

"Favors are not free." She said stepping to the side of the desk.

Ah, ponyfeathers. I quickly collected the game board and pieces, storing them on my side of the desk. "Come in."

The door opened for the two hulking forms of the ambassadors bodyguards. They both surveyed the room as they entered and took places on either side of the doors. Ambassador Kara followed directly behind them carrying the same cocky air that I had come to associate with griffins. She regarded Silent Stars as she made her way to my desk, finally turning her eyes to me with an annoyed expression.

"I am here, speak."

I frowned. My heart beat against my chest. What was I doing. "No pleasantries? Just straight to business? How boring."

I opened a desk drawer and pulled out three thick dossiers. One at a time I placed them in a stack. Each had a photo of a griffin attached to it. I had a difficult time telling griffins apart so each had a name scrawled under the photo. The first two of them were guards and relatively unimportant. The third was of Duke Sebastian Highwinds, the Emperor's son.

I almost did not notice it, but it was there, a twitch, a tensing of muscles as she fought the urge to grab the folder. It had been a year since the Duke had disappeared and the Emperor was not pleased. I was right and that was all the information I needed.

Without pausing I pulled out a fourth folder. I placed it on the desk in front of her. It was the complete report on our investigation into the deaths of the ponies at the griffin border. Kara eyed the folder before flipping it open.

"It has been months since we last heard from your government concerning these unfortunate events. The Princess would like to know the current situation regarding the suspects."

I expected her to be at least a little perturbed, but if she was she didn't show it. "There hasn't been any updates because there is no new information. An Arbiter has been dispatched to find these... criminals and has yet to report in."

"Perhaps he could use some assistance? We would be more than happy to dispatch some of our own pegasi to help in the apprehension."

She smiled ever so sweetly, "We appreciate the offer and if it is decided that we need help you will be the first to know."

This was truly more than I had hoped for. The ambassador was a wonderful actress, but my teacher was better. A flick of the eyes, a turn of the head, a slight change in her voice. Things I never would have noticed before. She desperately wanted to see that dossier.

"Now if you will excuse me, I have other business to attend to." Without waiting for a reply she turned on her heels and left.

I waited for the door to close before I began to freak out. All the fear and anxiety I had held at bay rushed out. I felt a rush of excitement and I started laughing. I couldn't stop myself, my hooves were shaking.

Stars walked over and opened the dossier with the Dukes picture, "It's blank. A folder of blank pages with a picture of the Duke. What game are you playing at, Mr. Chronicle?"

"Just testing a theory." The look I got told me that wasn't enough. "Have you noticed that there hadn't been any news about the Duke in over a year?" She shook her head, "I did, it was about four months ago. I happened to see a gossip magazine mentioning Lady Blueblood, then I overheard a conversation about some Zebra politician or another, and I got bored so I began to look into similar stories."

"You read gossip magazines now?" Her voice was incredulous.

"You were off galavanting around Equestria and I was bored. The important thing is that I noticed a complete lack of stories regarding the Duke. His brothers and sisters got plenty of coverage but nothing about him. So I dug deeper and do you know what I found?" She shook her head again, "Nothing. Nothing since the day he did not show up to meet the Princess.

"So I started to think about what this could mean. Either the Duke is out on a secret mission for a year or he has gone missing and the Emperor doesn't want anypony to know. If he has gone missing was he kidnapped or did he leave? Well if he was kidnapped it wouldn't be the first time and I believe we would have heard about it. So Either he is on a mission or he has run away. I wanted to figure out which."

"So now you know that the Duke has either run away or on a mission and the Emperor is keeping it under wraps for some reason." She paused for a moment, "You realize that the ambassador likely thinks you know something about the Duke now?"

"Yes. But what is she going to do about it?"

"It could get your office ransacked."

"Oh, I hope so."

She turned a questioning gaze on me, "If she has my office searched that will tell me just how desperate they are to find him and it isn't like I keep anything important in here."

"My Chronicle. My sweet, devious Chronicle. Are you sure you aren't letting me win our little games?"

"I would never dream of it."

"No? But I know of a couple things that you dream of that may just come true tonight."

My hat dropped to the floor.

==Chronicle==

I had taken the first steps by confirming that there was something going on with the Duke. But I knew little and less of what it was. I had my suspicions, but those could only get me so far. What I needed was information.

First I needed to find a reliable source of information. Everything I had up to this point had been gossip and hearsay, These things have their place, as I would learn, but can not be taken at face value. What I needed was an inside track on what Ambassador Kara knew. It is amazing how answers can just drop into your lap.

"Hey boss hows it goin Message from the Princess Must be important Sent post haste Well no time to talk GTG." The door slammed shut and the papers on my desk fluttered in the breeze. I had begun to wonder if that colt was actually Manecury.

When I have an epiphany I have found the process of it to be quite odd and more than a little annoying. They always seem to happen when I am too busy to do anything about them. This was a prime example. I picked up the scroll from the Princess and examined the seal. She used a special golden wax that as far as I knew she made herself. The seal itself had two raised Alicorns chasing each other in a circle. One pushed the sun and the other the moon. It hit me that if some pony intercepted the scroll and broke the seal they would never be able to reseal it without me knowing, and that is when I figured out what I was going to do. Unfortunately, the Princess had other plans for me that day and Stars was due to leave the next.

I quickly began to have second thoughts about the intelligence of my plan. For as much as I prefered to be indoors there were limits. I can't say my hooves clicked against the stone floor, it was more of a splash. And as cliched as it sounds the pony leading me down the dank passage was an overweight sloppy mess.

I had never realized how deep the castle went into the mountain. I spent the entire morning following this... jailer, as he told me his life story. I am sure it was an amazingly interesting story, but I stopped listening after he defeated his first manticore. He continued to talk even as he grabbed the keys in his teeth, only stopping once we reached the outer door. Picking out the desired key he inserted it into the lock and twisted his head until it clicked. The heavy wooden door creaked open releasing the stench it had held at bay. Rose petals?

"Duh one oo wan s surd on duh left." he said still gripping the key ring in his teeth.

I nodded, not really paying attention as I stepped across the threshold. I was blown away by how clean the cells were. They were utterly spotless, the metal bars were completely rust free, and the air was filled with the scent of roses. Each pony was busy scrubbing the inside of their cells with brushes and mops gripped in their teeth.

I stopped in front of the indicated cell and watched the earth pony facing the back corner. I had never seen a pony like him. Waves of green washed across his purple coat as he shifted around. His green mane and tail almost seemed to glow with its own light. His Cutie Mark was an odd looking silver tool I had never seen before.

"Mr. Molding Hooves?"

The scratching stopped as his whole body tensed for a second. His head drooped and slowly turned to face me. One blue and one green eye stared at me through the prison bars. He nodded meekly.

"The same Molding Hooves," He cringed again, "who withdrew seventy five thousand bits from the First Equestrian Bank in Canterlot with a fake cheque from Stinking Rich?"

"Not my fault they didn't ask if it was a real cheque."

"The same Molding Hooves (cringe) who used a falsified letter of introduction to live off of no less than three wealthy ponies for a period of no less than two months at a time?"

"They had more than enough room."

"The same (cringe) Molding Hooves who spent a year as the Equestrian ambassador to the Zebra Consulate and nearly destroyed our relations with his inappropriate behavior."

He opened his mouth to provide another excuse, but faltered under my gaze. This pony had caused a great deal of difficulty for the Princess and by association me. I did not want to be talking to him or offering him this opportunity. Unfortunately I had little choice in the matter. This was the only pony that I knew of that could do what I wanted and the only one that I had enough leverage with to make sure he did it.

"So, Mr. Mo-"

"I hate that name." He looked more pathetic than I thought was possible.

"But it is your name?"

"Not by choice." He laid down and wrapped his hooves over his face. "Do you have any idea what it is like to grow up with a name like that? 'Hey, look. Here comes Mouldy.' 'Mama told us not to get mould on our toys so guess you can't play with us today.'"

He looked so wretched laying there on his cell floor. I knew first hand how cruel foals could be. Being a bookish colt had not made my colthood a part of my life that I wanted to dwell on. But even I could not imagine what it would be like for this poor earth pony. It dawned on me that his name mixed with his coloration would make the jokes and name calling far too easy for any foal to pass up.

"I- how would you prefer to be addressed?"

He lifted his head with a devious smile, "Call me Master."

My sympathy shattered, "No."

"Maestro?"

"No."

He frowned for a moment before a happy smile split his face causing a line of green to move between his eyes, "Harvey."

"Harvey?" I felt my face scrunch.

He nodded vigorously, "Harvey." before I could ask he provided an answer, "I heard the name when I was a foal. I have always liked it, the way it feels rolling off your tongue. Give it a try." He drew the name out as he said it, "H-ar-vey."

I sighed to myself, what am I getting myself into. "Fine... Harvey, I have a job for you. If you accept I can get you out of these cells. You will still be confined to the palace grounds except under direct supervision until I feel that I can trust you. For your work you will be provided with your own room, access to the cafeteria, and a monthly allowance." I paused to let it sink in, "If you decline then you will spend the rest of your time in these... surprisingly nice cells."

He jumped up full of excitement and opened his mouth, but before the words escaped his lips he clamped his mouth shut. Skeptically he said, "What kind of job?"

"You will get the details if you accept. Suffice to say it is not dangerous and will make use of your... unique talents."

After a moment of thought he nodded and spitting on his hoof stuck it out between the bars, "You have got yourself a deal. Mr.?"

I looked at the proffered hoof poking through the bars. Ponies and their rituals. I sighed in my head, this is so disgusting. Lifting my own hoof I spit on it and cringing slightly shook his hoof. "Chronicle."

==Chronicle==

The paperwork was submitted for Mr. M- Harvey. He would be released into my custody in the morning. I was beginning to have serious doubts as to the wisdom of my course of actions, but curiosity had a strangle hold on my mind and I could not simply let things be. I had to find out what was going on, not because I thought it was important or vital to Equestria or the Princess, but because there was this glaring hole in my knowledge that was screaming to be filled.

It had taken me months of preparation for that first meeting with the ambassador, most of which was gathering what little courage I had. It had been such a small thing at the time, a curiosity at best and if I had let it be it would have remained just that. Now, however, it had become a puzzle. I began to see the vaguest outlines of the pieces and how they might all fit together, but there were too many possibilities and the more I tried to make it all fit with the information I had the blurrier it became. I had to figure this out or it would drive me crazy.

My only sanctuary was Silent Stars, for as suddenly as our lives had been thrust together I knew that she was the only mare that I would ever truly care about. But she was gone more oft than not. She was the Arch-Magi and she had responsibilities that superseded everything else. When duty called she answered and I loved her for it. We could never give up who we were to be together like other couples, so we cherished what time we had and made the most of it. That left so much time for my mind to dwell on this conundrum that I had to do something.

So now I was making my way to the next meeting on my list. I hoped that this meeting would be less morally ambiguous. Though I wasn't sure how the pony involved would feel about it. He was likely to take some convincing and I wasn't sure how to do it. To that end I headed to my office and waited for him.

I sat behind my desk and waited. I found it hard to focus on the reports. So instead I stared at my hat. I had never had a hat before, never really saw the point. Lifting it in a bubble of tan I rotated it in the air. It was black with a brim that was just wide enough to shade my eyes in the afternoon sun. A wide band wrapped around it just above the brim and the top was pinched in slightly with a cut out of the brim for my horn to signify which way was forward. Stars said it made me look dashing. I thought it made me look a fool, but it was a gift from Stars, with a sigh of resignation I placed it on my head.

The clock on my desk told me it was ten in the morning. Well it told me it was ten, the light from the dome and the balcony told me it was morning. I still don't understand why ponies wanted clocks, all one had to do was look outside to tell what time it was. I realize the irony of that statement, but that doesn't change the truth. It was a joke gift from the Princess, she had even come close to not laughing when I opened it and read the note out loud. I really needed to find a way to remove the irksome thing, but one does not simply throw away a gift from the Princess.

The door shot open announcing his presence as much as the rust colored blur. "Hey boss isn't it a beautiful day Too bad you're stuck inside with all this paperwork" He dropped a load of paper onto my inbox and reached for the pile in the out box. A tan light flashed as his wing made contact with the stack and I smiled a little, it had worked.

Zipp stood frozen in place, his wing stretched out over the pile of papers with his hooves already halfway to turning himself towards the door. I had never really gotten much chance to see the colt, he never sat still long enough to see more than the color of his coat. So I took a moment to get to know my favorite messenger pony. His coat was that reddish orange associated with rusting iron. His mane and tail were a more vibrant red with streaks of orange and yellow making it look more like fire than hair.

"Well hello there Zipp. I am sorry for that little bit of magic, but I really needed to speak to you." I knew he could hear me, though he wasn't able to respond in any noticeable way. "I am going to release you now, but I need you to stay put so that we can talk, alright?"

My horn shone and the magic aura engulfed the pegasus once again. When it dissipated he continued moving as though nothing had happened. I almost reached out to grab him before he could get out the door, but he stopped and turned back around to face me.

"What's up boss?"

"Oh, good, I was worried there for a second," He just smiled, "I need to ask you to do something important for me. Do you deliver all the messages that come into the castle?" He nodded violently and I took a breath. I couldn't lie to him, I couldn't even think of a lie. "Would it be too much to ask that you divert all the messages from the griffin Emperor to me before taking them to the ambassador?"

His face fell and for once he spoke slowly, "I don't know boss. That doesn't seem quite... right."

I nodded, "No, it probably is not. I won't try and talk you into this."

"I'll do it." I looked at him in surprise. I really hadn't expected it to be that easy. "You wouldn't ask me to do this if it wasn't important." And there it was, he gave me the chance to tell him that it wasn't important, that I was doing this for myself and for nopony else.

"Thank you. This really means a lot to me."

He nodded to me, "Its been nice talking to you boss but I got places to be and messages to deliver Later boss." back to his normal self he disappeared out the door in a blur.

I sat back heavily staring at the now closed door. I hadn't lied to him, not really. I am not responsible for the assumptions of other ponies. So I didn't correct him when I had the chance and let him believe a convenient lie, a lie that I didn't tell him. But if all that was true then why did I feel like such a terrible pony.

I spent the next few hours trying to suppress that twist in my gut under the mountain of reports that Zipp had just delivered. I made progress on the pile, but it did nothing for my conscience. I had never done something like that before, betraying a friend's trust. I had never really had friends to betray before and that made it so much worse.

I gave up on the reports and turned toward the balcony. I just needed fresh air. I stepped outside, closed my eyes, and took in a huge breath of the afternoon air. There was the slightest hint of flowers in the air. When I opened my eyes I felt that uncomfortable feeling creeping in the back of my mind, but it didn't hold a candle to the distaste I was feeling towards myself.

I spotted Cloudsdale out in the distance. I had always been curious of that pegasus city. It was the only place in Equestria where only one pony kind lived. Every other city had all kinds of ponies living together. I stared at the mass of clouds and rainbows, but it did no good I still couldn't dispel my unease at the situation I had put myself in.

I just barely heard the door open behind me, "Chronicle?"

"I'm out on the balcony, Silence."

I saw it before I heard it. An explosion in the sky just below Cloudsdale. There was a flash of rainbow colors before the world disappeared behind a wall of white. I think I screamed, I tried to, but the sound was so loud it is hard to say. My eyes burned as I fell backwards bringing my hooves to my face far too late to do any good. My head bounced against the marble floor. I swear I felt the entire palace shake beneath me as Stars wrapped her hooves around my head. I knew that she was saying something but all I could hear was buzzing. The last thing I remember was her picking me up off the ground then my world of white spun and I lost consciousness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter**** 7: ****A****Scribe****Meets****a****Protege**

The Griffin empire has been around for the better part of two centuries. To put that in context Princess Celestia has ruled Equestria alone for just shy of a millennium. Before the formation of the empire the Griffins consisted of scattered tribes ruled by chieftains, warlords, and self proclaimed kings. Each jealously guarding their lands and coveting their neighbors.

The story goes that a young griffin flew to the mountain nest of a northern griffin tribe. He approached the chieftain and told him to step aside. He claimed to be the rightful ruler of all griffins. The chieftain struck out at the young griffin for his impudence. It was his last act in this world. The young griffin, covered in the blood of the fallen chieftain, claimed the mantle of Emperor and challenged any who would oppose him to single combat. Twenty griffins died that night.

With a tribe at his back Highwinds, now The Emperor, gathered all his able bodied warriors and flew to the neighboring tribes. The first three chieftains refused to bow and died by his talons; their tribes, seeing his greatness, joined his cause. His name began to spread.

Tribes began to accept him as the rightful ruler. Wise chieftains bowed to his will and were rewarded. Fools refused and were slain. Soon griffins were ousting their own leaders who would not bow to the Emperor. For a time it seemed that his rise to power would come without war. Until the King of the Aerie called his soldiers to arms and raised the banners of war.

The King of the Aerie was the only griffin who could truly claim the title. The Aerie was a state unto itself. A massive mount in the center of the great plains at the southeastern reaches of the griffin lands it was a bastion that stood as the stop gap against the encroaching Dragons, Rocs, and Wyverns.

King Alric watched the young Emperor fly across the mountains and build his empire. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the upstart made his way south and he prepared. He called upon his neighbors and their neighbors and every tribe that had yet to fall to the Emperor. The call was answered and the armies raised. Subservience was not the griffin way and it would not be tolerated. King Alric did not demand the chieftains obedience only their armies.

Gathering his host in the shadow of the mount the King sent a missive to the rising Emperor. To save the lands and ensure the future of the griffin race there would be no drawn out campaign, instead a single battle. The winner would decide the fate of the griffin nation. The Emperor's response was simply 'I come'.

On the eve of the battle a single large tent was erected between the two opposing forces. Six griffins approached and two entered. The two leaders met under the canvas cover. It is unknown what was discussed during the hours they spent secluded and alone. If it was peace, than it was a failure.

The battle was joined and raged for three days. In the final day the two leaders joined the fray, both determined to bring an end to the conflict. When the dust cleared Emperor Horace Highwinds stood with the corpse of his rival clutched in his bloody talons.

==Chronicle==

I woke up to pain. My eyes burned inside my skull. I screamed. A needle pierced my shoulder. Darkness enveloped me.

I felt my eyelids blink, but that is all I know. The whiteness hadn't receded yet. It was frightening to know that my eyes were open and yet I could not see. It had been like this since I woke up. My eyes still burned, but it was manageable. I had to make sure I wasn't gritting my teeth too hard. The doctors still had me strapped to the bed. Apparently I had been rather violent when Stars brought me in.

I heard voices outside. I couldn't make out any words, but one of them sounded familiar. I strained to hear what they were saying. Something about time I think. I gave up, all it did was make my eyes hurt more. The door finally opened and the sound of eight hooves clopping across the floor filled the air.

"I'll be outside if you need me." My doctor.

There was a pause followed by the sound of a pony leaving and closing the door. The only sound I could here was breathing. I turned my head toward where I thought my visitor was standing. Their head was higher than I would have thought.

"Hello, your majesty." I like to think she smiled.

"Hello, Mr. Chronicle. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes." I lied, "I still can not see, but the pain is almost gone."

I felt a hoof on my forehead, "You are a terrible liar, Mr. Chronicle. The Arch-Magi sends her love. She wishes she could have, but-"

"I know. Duty calls and we answer." I could feel the sad smile cross her lips.

"She also said that if you do not get better soon she will be very upset with you." I had to chuckle at that.

We sat there quietly for a while. I have never been one for small talk and the burning wasn't helping in the slightest. For her part the Princess seemed content to sit in silence. Perhaps there simply was nothing that needed saying.

"Do the doctors know when my sight will come back?"

She did not speak for a moment, when she did respond her voice was so soft I almost couldn't hear it, "They are not certain that it ever will."

I know I should have been frightened. I should have screamed in rage. I should have cried like a foal. I did none of these things. I turned away from the Princess and back at the ceiling nodding slightly. I felt alone, lost and confused. I was mentally and emotionally numb. My entire world had been ripped out from under me and I didn't feel anything. Magical warmth washed over me and I fell once again in to the warm embrace of sleep.

I had no concept of time. I slept and I ate only to sleep again. A day passed like a week and a week passed like a season. I had to get up. I had to do something. I pulled at my bindings. Why was I still tied down? I reached out with my magic, but without a concept of their design it simply washed over them. I struggled against the bindings as the whiteness slowly closed in. I screamed and a nurse came.

"Mr. Chronicle, what is the matter?"

"I need to get up! I can't take it anymore! Get me out of this bed!" I screamed at her as I flailed against the straps.

"Please calm down." a tint of fear coloring her voice, "I'll get the doctor."

I heard her trot out the door and down the hallway. I ignored her, she wasn't any help. I pulled at the straps some more for all the good it did. It was at least a few minutes before the doctor came strolling into my room and I stopped fighting.

"The nurse says that you want to get out of bed."

"Yes. I-I need to get up, I need to get outside."

"Outside? Princess Celestia informed us that you suffer from acute Agoraphobia."

I stared at him, I think, and looked at him dumbly, I hope, before responding nice and slowly to make sure he understood, "I am blind. How can I be afraid of large spaces when I am BLIND!" I was a little upset.

The doctor reacted more calmly than I deserved. With a hoof on my chest he undid the padded leather straps. Once the last one fell away I tried to push past him. I was held fast as he chided me. I would be allowed out, but I had to agree to a few rules. I had to have an escort when ever I wanted to go for a walk and I had to listen to and follow them, when they said it was time to return it was time to return. I agreed eagerly.

It is harder being blind than you think, or at least it was for me. I tripped and stumbled my way through the hallways when ever they let me leave. I had to stay pressed up against my escort whenever we went somewhere or risk becoming hopelessly lost and I never quite got used to that tapping stick. It helped me avoid walls and such but holes and rocks were another matter.

My little excursions had done wonders for my attitude. The sounds of the birds in the trees, the feel of the sun on my coat, the smell of fresh cut grass mixed with the scent of flowers; it almost made up for not being able to see. I was laid out on one of the benches in the hospitals court yard when Nightrunner came to visit.

I turned me head to the sound of the approaching hooves. "They letting you just walk around now?"

I smiled as I recognized the voice, "No, my escort is around here somewhere." I scooted over to make room for him on the bench. "So, hows the palace holding up without me?"

"I tell you Chronicle, it's terrible." He took a seat next to me, "Celestia is on the verge of a panic attack, nothing is getting done. You need to hurry up and get yourself better or everything will just fall apart."

"Hah, right. Thanks for the ego boost, but I know things aren't that bad."

"Well, maybe not quite that bad." He trailed off and there was a very pregnant pause before he opened his mouth again. "I need to talk to you about something."

I turned my head to face him with what I hoped was a questioning face. "Is something wrong?"

He sighed heavily, "The day you had your accident I got this request for prisoner transfer. What do you think you are doing?"

It was my turn to sigh. I had had plenty of time to think about the choices I had made leading up to my sudden blindness and I wasn't best pleased with the realizations I had come to. I was about to respond when he cut me off.

"Don't, don't try to lie. I already talked to Zipp." The disappointment in his voice was like a slap across the face, "I have been around for a long time and I know how to read between the lines. I am going to go tell the Princess that you want to talk to her. What you do when she comes is up to you." With that he stood and left me staring down into the whiteness that had become my world.

The next morning I awoke to one of the most amazing surprises of my life. I could make out vague impressions of colors other than white. I was so excited that I fell out of bed and banged my head on the floor. It didn't matter though, my sight was returning.

The next few days were absolutely wonderful. The colors slowly began to darken. Then the colors began to form shapes and the shapes slowly coalesced into blurry images. Every morning I would wake up to find my vision just a little better than when I had gone to sleep. Then the Princess came.

I was laying in my bed when the door opened and the Princess walked in. I was immediately caught by a wave of panic. I had been expecting this visit of course, but with the return of my sight I was more than a little distracted and failed to give it any real thought. I watched as the Princess stepped to the side of my bed and sweat formed on my brow.

"Your Majesty." I said turning my eyes to the ground at her hooves.

"Commandant Nightrunner has informed me that there is a matter of some importance that you wish to discuss with me." Her neutral tone twisted my stomach.

I swallowed hard. This was not going to be easy. I began to tell her what had happened over the course of the days leading up to my accident. I had to fight my way through each and every word. The Princess remained quiet until I came to the end. When I finished my eyes crept up from the floor to look at her face. My vision was still too poor to tell what kind of face she was making.

"Mr. Chronicle," her voice was harsh with a hint of anger, "I am disappointed in you. Not because of what you have done, but because of what you did not do. There was nothing you told me here today that I did not already know.

Her voice softened, "I have been ruling Equestria for well over a thousand years. Do you truly believe that anything happens in my palace without my knowledge? I allowed you to play your moves to see just what you would do. If you stepped out of bounds I would have pulled you back in before you could cause any real damage. I had already planned on recruiting Mr. Molding. As for Zipp, he is not the first pony to handle any of the incoming mail.

Her tone lightened, "If you had brought your concerns to me in the first place you would have saved yourself some embarrassment." I could almost hear a laugh in her voice, "I am actually impressed at how quickly you picked up on things. Your predecessor took almost five years before he began his own meddling."

I was amazed at my own ignorance. I had thought myself so clever. A master spy unraveling a web of lies and finding a sinister plot threatening all of Equestria. I was an idiot. Of course the Princess already had a network of ponies feeding her bits of information from all over Equestria if not the world.

I felt a hoof on my cheek, "Now I don't let honest and able ponies go to waste, so here is your choice. If you wish you may maintain your position as my assistant and nothing more. If you choose that then you must forget your inquiries and curiosity, I can not have you stumbling around in the dark. Or you can assist me in running my information networks. If you do this then you will double your work load and you will do nothing dealing with that network without my express permission." she turned to leave, "I will give you until you are ready to return to your duties to decide."

"If it is alright with you, I already know my answer."

==Chronicle==

Twilight Sparkle, Dragon Hatcher, Star Pupil, The Element of Magic, Defeater of Nightmare Moon, and Banisher of Discord. She has earned every accolade that has been laid at her hooves, she works harder than any pony I have ever met, and she is as smart and charming as a pony can be. But I am not very good with foals and for the better part of a decade she was a bur beneath my saddle.

My accident, and subsequent stay in the hospital, happened because I had the misfortune to be looking directly at the first Sonic Rainboom in recent history. I, however, was not the only pony to be affected by this event.

For that entire week Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns had been holding open admissions tests for prospective students. During these tests the prospective students are asked to perform a very specific magical feat. Hatch a dragon egg. I find this test to be rather cruel as it is, of course, impossible. No matter how talented a unicorn is only a dragon can hatch a dragon egg, or so it had been thought. The students don't know this though. The actual purpose is to test the foals magical abilities and creativity, not whether or not they can hatch a dragon egg.

At the same time that I was standing on my balcony a young filly by the name of Twilight Sparkle was in the process of not hatching the dragon egg. When the Sonic Rainboom exploded in the sky she was able to draw on an incredible amount of magical energy that would normally be unavailable to any but the Princess. She was completely caught off guard by this and, besides turning her parents and the exam board into random objects, she not only hatched the baby dragon but accelerated its growth to the point that it broke through the roof.

The Princess responded immediately and brought the situation under control. Everypony was amazed that Ms. Sparkle was completely unharmed by the experience and indeed seemed to be unaware of the danger she had been in. The Princess immediately recognized Ms. Sparkle as the Element of Magic and took her under wing.

I did not find out about any of this until my first day back on the job three weeks after the events. My vision had finally returned to the point that I could read and I refused to be cooped up any longer. The doctors protested of course, they wanted to run more tests, but I wouldn't hear it. I had enough of hospitals to last me the rest of my life. I returned to the castle in the late afternoon to find a pink unicorn with a bright blue mane asleep in my bed.

==Chronicle==

It was a beautiful sunny day and I had decided to take the day off. I do not do this very often, I enjoy my work more than most ponies. Yesterday was, however, my second day back on the job and my first day with my new duties. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

The day started with the Princess giving me a run down of the entire operation that I would be directly in contact with. I had always wondered why there were so many scribes working for the Administration department. Fully half of them are 'Sifters'. These ponies are responsible for sorting through all the information that is provided to the Princess by her eyes and ears throughout the known world, both inside and outside Equestria. The sheer volume of information that comes in on a daily basis is astounding. These ponies have to sift through everything and when they discover some bit of data that may be useful they send it up to their superiors. These 'Analysts' are tasked with ensuring that the data that comes to them is actually worth passing on. The next stop for the information is my desk.

When a report hits my desk I read over it and all the notes made by the two ponies who pushed it through. It is then my task to place the file into one of three categories. If it is junk then I will destroy it. If it is viable but non-time sensitive it is filed away and I will bring it to the attention of the Princess at our next meeting. If it is viable and time sensitive then I will bring it to the Princess immediately.Either way any viable data is then sent to **[****Redacted****]** to be processed and disseminated as** [****Redacted****] **demeans necessary for ongoing and future ops.

That, however, was only the extra paperwork. The bit that did, and would continue to, tax me the most were the briefings. Once a week the Princess,** [****Redacted****]**,** [****Redacted****]**, and I were to meet at **[****Redacted****]**. These briefings lasted long hours where we would go over all the new information that had been gathered, all the progress reports for the current ops, and the state of any future ops in the works. I took almost no active part in these briefings, but the Princess felt that it was important for me to attend.

After all of that I needed a break. I picked the statue garden on a whim, I had never been out there before and I wanted to try and understand this 'modern' art. I gave up after five minutes of staring at a jumble of metal bars fused together with a plaque at the base reading 'Harmony'. Instead I trotted over to the classical marble statues. Finding an unoccupied bench I laid down.

I lasted an entire five minutes before pulling out my newest copy of 'Daring Do and the Halls of Tartarus'. With my mothers phoenix quill and a bottle of red ink I began my work. The author held to the high standard of spelling and grammar which I had come to expect from her. She also held to my standard of consistency and knowledge of mythology. The first errors didn't begin until page twenty or so when she directly contradicted what she had previously written in books four and seven, it didn't help that books four and seven contradicted each other.

I was deep into the story and writing corrections into my note book when I heard the approaching hooves. I didn't react at first, this was an open park after all. The hooves clicked across the stone path as they neared. It wasn't until they stopped beside me that I really took notice. There was a little gasp.

"What are you doing to that book?!" the little voice sounded deeply offended.

I turned to face my questioner. Coming in at just tall enough to look down at the book laid open on the bench was a little lavender filly. She had straight purple hair, with a single pink streak, covering her brow divided by the horn sticking out of her head. Her large purple eyes stared at me somewhere between teary eyed sadness and accusatory rage.

"Huh?" I am not very good with foals.

"Y-you are writing all over that book! You're ruining it! You aren't supposed to write in books!"

I was exasperated, maybe it was the stress of the past week, maybe it was my lack of social graces, but in the end I simply did not react well to a filly calling me out. "Aren't you a little young to be walking around the castle by yourself?"

"Nuh un! I've got my Cutie Mark, see." She proudly turned to the side displaying the large pink star surrounded by five smaller white ones.

I nodded half-heartedly before turning back to my work, "That's nice, now run along and go play with your friends."

Dipping my quill back into the ink bottle I brought it around to the open book. The author obviously hadn't done much research into the lore involved in the story. It is widely known that the three heads of Cerberus are that of bulldogs and describing them as '...long snout dripping with drool as its lips pulled back in a growl..." was blatantly wrong.

I lowered the quill closer to the page... the book was missing. I looked up and over to the filly. Floating in the air in front of her face was my book. A new page flipped over every few seconds as she read the book. That was ridiculous, even I didn't read that fast. I tried to reclaim my property.

My tan aura began to force the pink one off of the book. Before I got halfway it stopped and began to retreat. Her magic was forcing mine off. That wasn't right, I put more effort into my magic. I regained some ground for a fleeting moment before her aura forced me off completely. I was mad. I put the quill down and focused all my energy on taking back the book. It was a valiant struggle and I was sweating by the end, but I got it back.

She turned away with a sniff, "Your wrong!"

"What?" I asked suddenly at a loss.

"Page thirty four." I blinked a few times before opening the book to the stated page. "Paragraph five."

My eyes scanned down the page reading the indicated paragraph. Opening my note book I looked at my notations for that page. My lips moved along with the words as I reread the paragraph again and looked back at my notes.

"What do you mean I'm wrong?" She hadn't seen my notes, only the red ink underlining the section and the reference numbers for my note book.

"There is nothing wrong with that paragraph."

"There is everything wrong with that paragraph. It is in complete contradiction with the fourth book.."

"Only if you assume that they were written in chronological order."

My mouth opened to reply, only to close with an audible click. I started flipping through my note book. I stopped and read a few lines then flipped forward to another page and did the same. I had always assumed chronology. If the books were written out of order that would change everything.

I closed the note book with a slam and began packing my things away. "I-I need to go and check on somethings." I stood up and began walking away when a thought hit me, "Where are your parents?"

"At home I guess."

"Who brought you to the castle?" I became a little worried, it was not uncommon for school groups to come to the castle but there wasn't one scheduled for another few weeks.

"The Princess!" She exclaimed excitedly. "I was taking my entrance exam to get into the magic academy and there was this explosion and I hatched the egg and turned my mommy into a plant and... hey mister whats wrong? Your face looks funny."

I blinked a few times as my mind processed the words passing through my ears. "You... your name is-"

"Twilight Sparkle!" She said beaming, "I'm the Princess' protega- protegi-"

"Protege?" I provided.

"Yep, that's me." she held out a hoof. "Pleasure to meet you mister..."

"Chronicle," I said responding by rote to the prompt and shaking her hoof. "Is there someone who is supposed to be watching you?" She just smiled with a big grin on her face and nodded vigorously. "And they would be?"

She pointed a hoof and I turned around to see who she was pointing at. I heard a stifled snicker followed by a thump and quickly turned back around to see Twilight rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter. I didn't understand what was so funny. I turned around again hoping to spy her escort, but there was no pony outside other than the two of us.

"Oh."

==Chronicle==

We stepped out of the castle and into the afternoon light. The sun had reached its zenith half hidden behind the white clouds dotting the sky. The weather crew was just visible pushing the last of them into position.

In the middle of the training yard a group of oddly dressed pegasus guards sat in a circle around two other similarly dressed guards. As we neared I noticed that Nightrunner was one of the two. He turned a full circle as he spoke to the guards surrounding him.

As we neared the group Nightrunner and the pegasus opposite him crouched down and launched themselves into the air. Rocketing up at an impressive speed they disappeared into a cloud. It was a few seconds before they came back into sight. At some point they had broken off and were now flying directly at each other. They crashed with an incredible amount of force and began to tumble to the ground. I heard Twilight mirror my own feelings with a gasp. They tumbled and spun as they plummeted to the earth below and I almost called out for the other pegasi to do something. Then I realized that they were not simply falling. I could just make out their struggle as they fought the other for control. Grappling for position they tumbled closer to the ground. Three hundred, two fifty, two hundred, at one hundred fifty hooves they broke apart.

At about one hundred hooves they righted themselves and began to pull up. Their descent slowed as they regained control of their fall. At fifty hooves they evened out and shot by directly over head. Dust and dirt flew into the air and manes and tails were ruffled at their passing. Their flight slowed as they made lazy turns back towards the training yard.

They landed back in the center of the circle breathing heavily from the demonstration. Nightrunner said something to his compatriot, I was still too far away to hear, and took his leave walking towards me and miss Sparkle. The other pegasus began speaking to the gathered ponies, asking and answering questions. As the Commandant neared the group began pairing off.

"That was an impressive display. I have never seen anything quite like it."

"Basic aerial combat training." he turned back to the students rolling around in the dirt. "So what brings you out here today?" I motioned to the filly standing at my side. "What? Oh." He gasped with exaggerated surprise, "You are a sneaky one aren't you? How long have you been standing there?"

Twilight gave him a confused look, "I have been standing here the whole time."

I began to have doubts about my plan. "I was wondering if you could help me out. I have no idea what to do with her." He gave me a look identical to the one Twilight had just given him. "I have never taken care of a foal before, much less a filly."

"Have you asked her what she wants to do?"

"Well, no, is that it? Do we just do whatever she wants all day? What about food? What about-"

He cut me off. "You really have no idea what you are doing, do you?" I shook my head, "Just keep her out of trouble. She is old enough to do most everything by herself. If she is hungry take her to the mess hall. If she is tired put her to bed." He glanced back at the guards practicing behind him before continuing, "As much as I would love to see how this turns out I have my own foals to watch over. You'll do fine, I look forward to hearing all about it later."

I stood there a moment watching him trot back to his men. He screamed at one of the pegasi about proper form before physically separating the two and demonstrating just what he expected from them. The poor pony beat at the ground with his hooves as the Commandant bent his leg into a very uncomfortable looking position.

"So, what do you want to do?" I asked turning to the grinning filly.

The door to my office opened easily to the pink aura as the unicorn filly bounced into the room. I followed behind her at a more reserved pace. The air around us was filled with the many books I had collected from my room. I was actually smiling.

I had been concerned about how I was going to deal with having a foal around all day, but she was a unicorn after my own heart. She didn't want to play games or run around or make noise. No, she wanted to read. More specifically she wanted to read through the books I had edited. This meant hours of quiet time that I could use on the reports cluttering my desk. Sure my day off was a bust, but it could have been a lot worse.

Those were the thoughts running through my mind as I sat down and pulled out my quill. I pulled the first paper from the stack. I remember it clearly. It was a status report from Cloudsdale detailing the last quarters weather numbers. Everything from amount of rainfall in Las Pegasus to hours of overtime worked to the number of clouds visible from any city in Equestria. I remember it because it was the only report I actually managed to read that day.

I had just signed the bottom line and placed it into the outgoing pile when it happened. I should have expected it. I should have seen it coming from the moment I met that lavender filly. I turned to face her with a questioning expression and responded as well as I could. I had hoped that would be it. I was wrong. Just as I was picking up the next document it happened again. I responded again and tried to return to work. It kept happening. I did my best, I tried to be patient, but there is only so much a pony can take before they just give up. For the rest of the day there was only one thought running through my mind. How many more questions can she possibly have?

(Edited for your enjoyment by the one and only Inkiepie)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A Scribe Learns

I was sitting out on my balcony looking out at the world on display. It was early evening and the sun had moved to hide behind the other side of my office. My eyes drifted down from the mountains on the horizon to the courtyard below. The Canterlot Gardens were meticulously maintained by the gardening staff. Whether the Gala, the Garden Party, a wedding, or any other event hosted at the castle, the Canterlot Gardens were always a prominent feature.

Today, however, they were empty save for the wildlife that lived there. It was one of the more peaceful areas of the castle. The birds sung soft melodies and the flowers filled the air with sweet perfumes. I contemplated heading down there to truly appreciate the tranquility, but I quashed the idea quickly. There was far too much work to be done and even this slight reprieve would set me back too much.

A streak of movement caught my eye a moment before I turned back to my desk. Curiosity got the better of me and I stared down at the court yard with interest. It took me a moment to spot the lavender coat hiding in a patch of shrubbery. A small smile split my lips as I recognized Miss Sparkle. A moment later the pure white of the Princess crept into my vision. Her head was down as she searched the gardens. She stopped for a moment staring at the shrub that hid her student. She was too far away for me to read her expression, but she walked right past the hiding spot and continued to search the area beyond it.

A knock at the door pulled my attention from the game of hide 'n seek playing out below. "It's open," I called over my shoulder unwilling to miss the antics. I hear the heavy hoofsteps and clink of armor telling me it is a member of the Royal Guard. "Nightrunner, what can I do for you today?"

There was a silent pause before he replied, "Um, Mr. Chronicle," I spin, surprised at the voice behind me. "I have a message from the Princess," the charcoal unicorn offers uncertainty.

My cheeks flush in response to my over reaction, "I apologize, I don't get many visitors from the guard." I take a moment to study the unicorn, I don't recognize him. "I am sorry, I don't believe I know your name."

He looked down at me, the uncertainty still playing across his features, "um, Lieutenant Shining Armor, sir."

I nodded to myself filing away his name and face for future reference. I turn back to the courtyard to watch the scene below. "You said you had a message from the Princess?" I quickly spot Twilight still hiding in the same shrub poking her head out trying to see where the Princess has gone. Unfortunately for her the Princess is slowly creeping up on her from behind.

"Yes, sir." he says stepping onto the balcony, "she wishes to meet with you after the setting of the sun."

The Princess clears the last of the distance between them and pokes Twilight in the flank with her horn. The young filly jumps into the air in surprise and takes off running. My smile broadens at the sight of the Princess holding back her laughter behind a wing. I hear a soft chuckle from the pony beside me and turn to see the unicorn shaking slightly.

I give him a quizzical look, but he is too busy watching the ponies below play. I follow suit and turn to try and locate Miss Sparkle again. I quickly find her standing in the open at the doors leading into the castle. She is laying down with her hooves over her face. For a moment I think she is crying until she pops up and begins moving excitedly about the court yard. I begin to scan the area in search of the Princess. The Lieutenant taps my shoulder and points a hoof at one of the trees. I can barely make out the floating rainbow of her mane amongst the leaves and limbs.

"How long do you think it will take her?" the guard asks glancing sideways at me.

I look down at the filly again, "about five minutes, give or take."

I see him smile, "I say eight, if I know that filly half as well as I do then she will try and pull the same stunt as the Princess."

I give the guard another look, but refrain from asking the question. Instead I watch the game play out. Sure enough Miss Sparkle spots the Princess and immediately walks right past her. Making a loop around the tree she approaches from behind, a stick levitating beside her. She creeps closer to the tree, stick slowly moving toward the unsuspecting Princess. Just as she is about to strike the Princess disappears in a flash of light. We all stared in stunned silence as the Princess reappears behind Miss Twilight and pokes her again. She launches herself into the air again as the Princess rolls with laughter and the guard beside me knickers in amusement.

"I take it you are familiar with Miss. Sparkle?"

He turns to me still grinning, "you mean Twi? You could say that, um... sir." his expression hardens suddenly as he remembers where he is. His cheeks redden in embarrassment.

"It's ok Lieutenant, I promise not to tell the Commandant about this." I say with a grin, "how do you know 'Twi'?" The nickname felt odd coming off my tongue.

"Sir," he said trying to reclaim his military bearing, "she is my little sister, sir."

"Brother?" I say more than a little surprised, "she never mentioned having a brother."

"Did you ever ask?... Sir."

I thought for a moment, "no. I guess I never did."

"You were probably too busy answering all of her questions to ask any yourself."

I grinned nodding at the memories, even if they were frustrating at the time. My eyes drift back to the desk filled with unfinished work, "did the Princess inform you as to the nature of the meeting?"

"No, sir. Though she did mention something about griffins."

I could feel my eyes light up. "Very good," my mind is already distracted as I make my way back to the paperwork. "If there is nothing else?"

Shinning Armor shakes his head and salutes, "good day, sir." and turns to leave. I barely notice the door closing as I sit down. The pages float by me as I read them with my mind completely distracted with thoughts of griffins and spys.

==Chronicle==

Trade. The life blood of nations. The fuel of industry. (metaphor for impending doom).

Trade is the basis for all allegiances. Whether between nations or ponies. Goods are exchanged for bits, bits buy services, favors are owed and paid. Without trade nothing grows and nothing changes, stagnation sets in and will eat away at the core.

The trade between nations is a precarious thing. When properly balanced and maintained it is a boon to both nations allowing mutual growth and prosperity. But when it tips and faults it can pull down the greatest empires. Both nations must act quickly to restore the balance and ensure not only economic health, but to prevent the degradation of relations and continued peace.

Most ponies don't consider just how important trade is to their daily lives. They don't understand what the price of tea in Baltimare has to do with the price of bread at the corner market. They live their lives in their little spheres and never look out the window to see the world outside. The truth is that their lives would not be the same without trade and even the smallest deviations can change lives.

Two governments altering a long standing trade agreement, for example. Changing the value of a few key, seemingly unrelated, products can ripple through an entire nation. When the cost of doing business rises and profits fall businesses begin to struggle. Change them enough and some businesses might begin to fail. As businesses fail ponies will find themselves without income and unable to spend what little money they have on other businesses. This alone will not bring a country to its knees, but if it goes unchecked it can create other problems.

An unemployed work force is ripe with discontent. Some may blame bosses or even have the understanding to blame these changes in trade. Most, however, will see a failing of their government and its leaders. Such situations can easily become a powder keg of rebellion..

==Chronicle==

I waited impatiently outside the Princess' study. It had been a solid month since I took on my roll at the top of the intelligence network. I had been reading reports and information coming in from all across the land and I knew that she was up to something. Today was the day I would finally take a greater role in the flow of events. I began to pace back and forth as I waited. The anticipation was driving me up the wall.

Iron Flank and Longfeather eyed me as I shifted nervously in the hallway. It was odd thinking back to when I couldn't tell one guard from the next. The differences were astonishingly obvious if one took the time to look. I guess we get so used to telling other ponies apart simply by their manes and coats that we forget to notice that we all have unique faces and body structures. Iron Flank, for example, has a much wider face and smaller eyes than Longfeather. His lips and mane are thinner too. There was no way that I would be able to confuse the two or any of the guards that I had interactions with anymore.

The familiar wave of magical energy washed over me, the sun was set and the moon began its slow rise across the sky. As anxious as I was I still took a moment to bask in the warmth. The loving embrace of a mother calming and soothing the pains and worries of a foal. I truly feel for all the non-unicorns who will never know what it feels like to stand so close.

The door opened and I stepped into the study just as she emerged from the balcony. We sat down on opposite sides of the large desk. As I readied myself I looked up at the regal alicorn before me, she was positively glowing. It was a change I had noted in the first weeks since my return. She had never seemed sad or depressed before, but now there was a new energy that had not been there. It didn't take long to identify the source.

"How is Miss Sparkle today?" I asked knowingly.

Her smile brightened ever so slightly, "As energetic and excitable as one would expect for one so young. She questions everything when she is not nose deep in a book or trying some new experiment. But Twilight is safely in bed, we had a positively exhausting lesson today, and I believe we have business to discuss."

"Yes, I received your message this afternoon, though it was a little vague."

The Princess graced me with an amused smile, "You have been very patient with me, Mr. Chronicle. But I can see even you have your limits." I felt the warmth flood my cheeks and unconsciously tried to sink into the floor. "Come, before I tell you your role there are some things that you should know." The Princess rose from behind her desk and walked to the balcony. I stood a moment later and followed her out into the morning light. She took a seat at the railing staring to the northern mountains that ran along most of the border between Equestria and the Griffin Empire. I took my seat beside her and waited. We sat in silence for a time as the wind blew and the sun slowly made its way above the horizon. When the Princess finally broke the silence there was an oddly distant quality to her voice. "The battle for the Aerie was a turning point for the Griffins..."

The griffins struggled at first. Losing so many lives in the Battle of the Aerie was a blow they were ill prepared to deal with. For the rest of his rule Horace was forced to focus on consolidating his power and holding the tribes together through age old bitter rivalries. He lacked the wing power to hold their borders and was forced to come to me for help.

I had been observing his rise to power almost from the first day. I saw his ruthlessness, his drive to unite his species. I also saw his mercy, his willingness to bring those who were his enemies under his wing. In truth I saw much of myself in him and I could not sit idly by as dragons and wyverns attacked his lands.

My decision was not a popular one. The hate and distrust between ponies and griffins is etched into our bones. Thousands of years of predation and retaliation are not forgotten in two hundred years, much less a single day. Nevertheless I sent the first pegasi squadrons to bolster the garrisons along the southeastern borders.

That was the beginning of our trade relations. Trade agreements were reached and treaties were signed. It was not long before magically enhanced tools began to flow into the empire and gems and gold began to flow into Equestria. There was still hostility between us, but prosperity tends to bring ponies together.

I had hoped that this was the beginning of a change that would allow us to exist in Harmony. But I have found that ponies do not change and neither do griffins. If Horace had the lifespan of an alicorn maybe things would have been different. He taught his son well, who taught his son well, but each generation became less and less tolerable.

With each generation their prosperity grew and their population rebuilt. It was not long before they had recovered completely and began to grow. Their tribal homes grew into cities. They had to start raising livestock to meet the demands of their growing population.

It is sometimes a curse to live so long. To watch the same follies played out time and time again with only a change in name to mark the difference. You begin to think yourself so much better than those around you. When I realized my mistake it was far too late. I had placed my stones and the trap had sprung. Hope is a virtue, but it can cloud your sight. I had to do something. The consequences of inaction was war, but how do you prevent a war of necessity?

I mourned on the night I began down this path and every night since. The burden of leadership is doing what is right and not what is moral. The necessity of an act does not make it any easier. To save my ponies I had to ensure that the griffins could not pose a threat. I had to destroy what so many sacrificed to build.

"You want to know what all this has been about? You want to know why so many reports are coming from griffin territories? I am saving the lives of ponies and throwing the griffins into the fire. I am turning back two hundred years of progress. I am bringing down an Empire and sowing the seeds of chaos."

==Chronicle==

My quill sat on my desk unused, the bottle of ink unopened. Files and reports stacked high to my left while to my right there was not a single sheet of paper. The clock slowly ticked away the seconds. Spinning slowly in the air before me was a scroll. This wholly unremarkable scroll drew the entirety of my attention. I could not tear my eyes away. My eyes locked on the seal every time it came into view until it pass by again. There was a meaningless name scrawled across the back. It was not a pony's name, nor a griffins. It was merely letters arranged to ensure the proper pony received it.

"_The__words__are__not__important__and__would__have__no__meaning__to__you__."_

I watched it spin. Was the situation really that bad? It couldn't be, could it?

My entire life I had only ever been responsible for myself. It wasn't a conscious choice so much as they way things worked out. After my parents passed I sold everything and moved to the castle. I lived my entire adult life behind its protective walls. I was old enough now to start complaining about being old, not that it had stopped me before. In all that time it had only been me. I did my job and that was it. I did not argue cases, I did not pick sides, I simply researched and reported. That was my life and I was happy.

"_You__have__read__the__reports__that__have__been__coming__in__. __You__have__all__the__data__stored__in__your__head__. __But__you__are__not__actively__involved__. __You__are__a__step__removed__."_

What if she was wrong? What if we did this when there was no real threat?

I could have said no. I could have thanked her and walked away. I would still be at my old desk reading legal briefs and searching through mountains of law for bits of information that might pertain to the case. I would still be working under Mr. De'Facto, following orders and doing a job with all the decisions made by more qualified and experienced ponies. I would have... I never would have met Stars...

"_You__shouldn__'__t__have__to__carry__this__burden__, __but__there__is__no__other__pony__I__can__trust__with__it__."_

But if she is right and I don't send it...

Twilight Sparkle, so young and full of potential... and questions. What would happen to her? Or her brother, the rising star in the guard? So young and already an officer. What of all the other colts and fillies? Don't the Griffins have foals of their own?

"_I__am__giving__this__to__you__, __Mr__. __Chronicle__, __because__I__can__not__send__it__..."_

Why would the Princess put me in this situation? How could she expect me to make a decision that she herself wasn't prepared to make? I couldn't do it! I couldn't be responsible for the lives of so many. I grabbed the scroll between my teeth and stormed out of the room.

When the guards came into view I started to lose my conviction. I realized that I was about to storm into the Princess' room and make demands. I almost turned around until I felt the scroll between my teeth. I let go and caught it in a kinetic field. I took a moment to collect myself. I knew that I had to do this, but that didn't mean I had to do it in a huff.

Tips and Taps acknowledged me with a slight nod as I approached. I recognized the two unicorns standing beside the doors, though I still couldn't tell them apart. I don't think their parents could tell those two apart. "Is the Princess still awake?"

Tips or Taps answered, "yes, sir."

The other chimed in, "she has been practicing some magic for the past few hours, sir."

I nodded my thanks and stepped between them and raised my hoof to knock on the door and hesitated. I had to take another breath to steel my resolve. This would not be easy, but it had to be done. With great reluctance I tapped on the door with my hoof.

"Come in." Came the reply form the other side of the door. The door opened enough for me to slip in. The Princess sat on her bed wearing a soft pink bathrobe. I suddenly felt very awkward. She gazed up at me with a smile for only a moment before returning to the pile of scrolls set before her. I hesitated again before stepping forward into the room. She continued to remain silent, almost ignoring me as she concentrated on a scroll hanging in the air before her. I float the offending document before her. Her right eye flicked to the rolled up piece of paper. After an uncomfortable moment she took it in her own magic.

"I-I can not d-do this." I stuttered, dropping my eyes to the floor. "It's too mu-much."

She remained silent for what felt like an eternity as I studied the stone floor at my hooves. Never before had I felt like such a disappointment. I asked for this, I had almost begged for it, and now I was trying to run away. I felt the warm touch of her magic push up on my chin forcing me to look up. Her smile washed away all my worries.

"Mr. Chronicle, I am proud of you." Had it not been for the magic holding up my chin I would have been gaping. "You did exactly what you should have done." I didn't understand, "you are a wonderful advisor and assistant. But you are not a ruler. You lack the perspective and experience necessary to make decisions that affect others." She lifted the scroll and broke the seal. Unrolling the paper she held it before me. It was blank. The only writing anywhere on the page was the meaningless name displayed on the back.

I didn't know what to think. I couldn't process what the Princess was saying. I tried to speak, but her magic still held my jaw closed. The paper dropped to the desk, curling up slightly trying to turn back into a scroll. Two bags, one black and one white, floated out of the Princess' desk wrapped in a golden aura. They were shortly followed by a large wooden board I knew well.

"Miss Stars tells me you play."

The game took an eternity. It was the shortest game I ever played. The Princess continued working as we played. She had plenty of time between her moves as I studied the board. I placed my stones with the care and deliberateness of an artist painting his masterpiece. The Princess barely glanced at the board before laying down a stone and returning to the documents before her. Not a word was spoken throughout and when the game reached its conclusion I bowed my head and left.

I walked to my room in a dull haze. The events of the day a chaos of images and sounds playing out in my mind. I didn't understand what was going on. Every time I thought I was coming close to an answer it would slip away. I simply could not make it all fit. When I finally laid down to sleep I had come to only one conclusion that I could be sure of. It was the last thing that the Princess had shown me. No matter how much time and effort I put forth, no matter how hard I tried, the stones were just for show.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A Scribe Finds Trouble

The noonday sun shone through the dome of my office casting a warm glow about the room. I crept as quietly as possible away from the large cushion in the back corner. Each step I took towards my desk sent a sharp click into the air causing me to cringe. I had never wanted a carpeted floor as much as I did in that moment. Clearing the distance I turned back to check on the purple mound breathing softly behind me. With a satisfied smile I sat down and took a moment to rest my head in my hooves letting out a soft sigh. Silence, wonderful joyous silence. Unfortunately, I could not simply sit back and bask in its glory, I had work to do.

The bottom drawer squealed ever so softly as it opened, I made a quick mental note to have that fixed. I heard a stirring behind me and I froze, my ears turning to the purple mound. A full minute passed before I so much as flicked my ear. The breathing slowly calmed and evened out, I let out the breath that had caught in my throat. Satisfied, I levitated my quill and ink from the drawer and left it open, the risk was too great. A mountain of paperwork begged for my attention and I was only too willing to answer. Peace, quiet, and paperwork; what more could I ask for?

Ink bottle open and quill in the air I pulled out the first page and bent over my work. I tentatively signed the document, my ears still turned back to the sleeping form behind me. With no noticeable reaction I relaxed slightly and pulled out another report. The day having started out on less than a positive note seemed to finally be going well.

The creak of the door brought another cringe and I glared up at the new intruder on my peace and quiet. "This is how you greet me after being gone for so long?"

My eyes slammed shut in concentration, magic igniting around my horn as I wove the spell, _"SHHH! I thought they trained you to notice everything when you stepped in a room."_

She gave me an incredulous look, _"Chronicle, I taught you better than that." _I flinched at the scolding and she continued before I could respond, _"so your playing foalsitter now?"_

"_Shouldn't you be skulking through some bushes in a jungle somewhere?"_

"_Oh I was, until I was overcome with a terrible longing,"_ she fluttered her eyelashes._ "I knew that I just had to return to my Chronicle."_

Before I could respond her attention shifted behind me. The calming effects of my work faded away all too quickly as my head turned to look behind myself. There she was, Miss Sparkle, eyes wide and locked on me. "You were using magic!" She exclaimed giddily as she bounded off the cushion, "I felt it! I felt it! I was asleep and I felt your magic!" My head thudded loudly against the desk, "What kind of spell was it, Mr. Chronicle? Can you teach it to me?"

I looked up and saw that Stars had put on the mask of detached and disinterested calm that she always wore around other ponies. A sigh escaped my lips, "I am sorry, but I can't. It is not mine to teach," with a flick of my hoof I motioned to the pony across the room.

Miss Sparkle turned to the pink unicorn standing at the open door. I was amazed to see her shrink back in fright, a tiny whimper escaping her lips. I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong, but before I could she barreled into me. Almost knocking me over as she hit, my forelegs instinctively wrapped around the frightened bundle of fur.

"Woah there, what's the matter?" I asked soothingly, running a hoof up and down her back trying to comfort her. Miss Sparkle buried her face against my chest and pointed a shaky hoof at Stars. I looked up in confusion at the blue maned unicorn for a moment. Realization slowly dawned on me. For the first time in years I looked at her and saw what every other pony saw. "It's okay Miss Sparkle," I said unable to keep the laughter from my voice, "I know she looks scary but she is really just a teddy bear at heart." For her part Stars glared daggers at me, I knew I was going to pay for that comment later.

Looking into her eyes I motioned to the filly by flicking my head. She frowned, but acquiesced. Miss Sparkle suddenly perked up and turned to face Stars, eyes wide in wonder. "How are you doing that? Can you teach me?... Aww, why not?" Miss Sparkles' face dropped, her voice coming out in a whine that promised lots of tears and screaming if she didn't get her way.

The cushion where Miss Sparkle had been sleeping moved slightly and I held my breath. A loud snore echoed across the room before the cushion settled back down. Turning my gaze to the filly I gave her a stern look, "keep your voice down," the words barely a whisper, "you don't want to wake him up do you?" Her eyes went wide as she stuffed her forehooves in her mouth and shook her head.

The sound of hooves clicking across the floor brought my head around. Stars moved toward the cushion in the corner, curiosity painted across her face. If I hadn't been paying close attention I would have missed the flash of confusion in her eyes. _"Chronicle, why is there a baby dragon sleeping in your office?"_

"That's Spike, the dragon Miss Sparkle hatched."

Her lips moved as she whispered to herself and her already stern face hardened. I had had the unfortunate opportunity to see her angry before, but this was different. If I didn't know better I would have said she was worried. Her eyes fell on the little filly. "Twilight Sparkle!" the Arch-Magi spoke in a hushed tone that carried more force of command than most ponies could scream, "front and center."

Fear and uncertainty played across the fillies face, neither was able to hold her though. Miss Sparkles' movements were more akin to a marionette than a living pony. Each leg being raised and lowered one at a time until she stood before the Arch-Magi. Lowering her head the Arch-Magi's horn touched hers and immediately they flared to life. The Arch-Magi's lips began to move, whispering too softly for me to hear.

A light formed where their horns touched and rose into the air above them. A simple speck of light floating alone in the air. I watched completely entranced as the light split in two, then four, now eight. They began to move, rearranging themselves to form the constellations. The Hunter, Ursa Major, Aeros the Griffin, each one I could name and many more that I could not. The entirety of the night sky had flashed before my eyes before collapsing back into a single point of light.

The light stretched itself into a single line. The line shrunk and moved high into the air. Another point formed and stretched before curving back to itself and forming a circle. The circle followed the line and hung next to it in the air as a new light formed. A triangle followed, then a square, a pentagon, hexagon, octagon. Each one moving up to the field of shapes in the air. Miss Sparkles' eyes shot open, pure white light pouring out, when they moved to the third dimension. Each shape formed, a cone, a pyramid..., and each moved to join the others. The Arch-Magi's features became more and more strained with each new shape, sweat dripping from her brow. My vision twisted as my eyes and mind tried desperately to comprehend the newest shape above their horns. Nausea washed through me and the world faded for a brief moment.

A shake of my head brought the world back in time to see Miss Sparkle teetering, "did... did I pass?" she mumbled as she slumped forward into Stars. Exhaustion overtook her and she fell into unconsciousness.

I reached out and caught her in my magic before she could hit the floor. Gently, I placed her back on the cushion with her dragon before turning to Stars. "What the hay just happened?"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Running a hoof across her brow she finally spoke, "I... I don't know. I have never seen anything like that... I need to speak to the Princess."

Before she could move to stand four loud clicks echoed into the room from the balcony. I turned to see the Princess step through the drawn curtain. The golden glow of her magic surrounded the sleeping forms, "Arch-Magi! Outside. Now."

I watched in awe and more than a little fear as Stars stood on shaky legs. Her face was set, betraying no emotion or weariness, her legs the only sign that anything might be wrong. The Princess watched as the unicorn stepped past her and out to the balcony. The look on her face chilled me to the bone, I had never seen her angry before and I could only hope that I was never on the receiving end of that glare.

The bubble around the cushion dissipated as the Princess stepped back behind the curtain and another one flared to life blocking off the balcony. Between the curtain and the wall of magic I had no idea what was happening on the other side. The air was filled with the soft sound of breathing and the ticking of the clock on my desk. I waited, counting the seconds as they ticked away.

Three minutes and twenty six seconds. The magic wall lifted, "I expected better judgment from you." Heavy wing beats caused the curtains to billow open, showing me the Princess taking flight and Stars looking dejectedly at her hooves, for a brief moment before they fell back into place.

A moment later she stepped back into the room, the mask of the Arch-Magi firmly in place. "Are... is everything alright? Love?"

"Everything is fine, Chronicle."

"D-don't give me th-that goat shit!" I ground my teeth in frustration, turning away and looking at the ground. "Stars... I... want..." The stiff warmth of her hoof pressed gently into my cheek. She brought my muzzle up to hers.

The frustration melted away as we shared that moment, cheek to cheek, just the two of us. It had been a month since I had last seen her. She rarely had to go into the field anymore, but being the Arch-Magi meant that every problem for the Corps. was her problem. Between inspections, assignments, training and all of my own responsibility we rarely had time for each other. I was overcome by a wave of guilt; we could have been spending this entire time together, but instead I let my annoyance with others get in the way. When I tried to speak I found my mouth otherwise occupied.

As with all things, the moment ended too soon. We parted; both of us knowing that it had to be, both of us wishing it were otherwise.

My eyes drifted to the pile of paperwork that had been waiting for my attention all day. I felt a hoof press against my cheek and turned to look back at the mare sitting before me. She gave me the small private smile nopony else saw, "you have work to see to," when I tried to protest her hoof moved to my lips and she shook her head.

I kissed the top of her hoof before stepping back to my desk. The first page lifted out of the stack and floated down to the empty center of the desk. With my quill in the air I stopped and turned to look back at Stars. She had moved to the pile of books that Miss Sparkle had been reading. Selecting one on the basics of magical theory she curled up next to sleeping forms and began to read. Turning my attention back to my own task I dipped the quill into the ink and set to work.

As I signed that first document I felt the familiar calm wash over me. My muscles relaxed and I slumped forward slightly. I quickly fell into the rhythm that I had developed early in my adult life. Paperwork has always been my refuge. The place I could go to get away from the rest of the world. Where confusing social convention had no meaning; where I didn't have to worry about missing the meaning behind someponies words or having my own actions misconstrued. Everything here made sense to me and after years of practice it had become so routine that I could let my mind wander.

That this was not the case for other scribes has always confused me. What was a scribe if not a pony destined to do paperwork? I could understand the treasury scribes not enjoying it when they had to deal with the legal documentation, after all their forte was numbers not words. However, many of the ponies I worked with in legal made a habit of complaining about the constant paperwork. How can a pony complain about what they were born to do? To me it was like a musician complaining about performing at concerts.

I worked through the daily reports at my usual pace, I may have been hurrying just a little. There was very little of any interest that day. The last event at the palace had been more than a month ago and there wasn't another one scheduled for weeks. Even the sealed intelligence reports were lacking in number and information. It seemed the entire organization was holding its breath in anticipation. The Princess had yet to actually approve the plans set in place by the department heads; she was waiting for something, though nopony seemed to know what. I was content with the state of affairs however, I feared the repercussions of such action.

As it is want to do, the mass of papers slowly transferred from one pile to the other. Once the inbox was down to just about an inch in thickness I finally put my quill softly on the desk and sat back with a contented smile. Through a great deal of trial and error I had learned that it was impossible to finish the paperwork. Every time I got close to emptying the inbox, and this never failed to amaze me, Zipp would come strolling in with another stack. I had questioned him on this once or twice, to which he would simply smile and respond _'I don't know what you mean boss.'_ before exiting in an orange streak.

My heart leapt into my throat as a pair of pink hooves wrapped themselves around me. She pulled me closer, resting her chin on my shoulder, "I wasn't kidding earlier, how long until we can get some time alone?"

I relaxed into her warm soft fur, "The Princess has meetings until nightfall and today is the nurse's day off, so I will have them for the rest of the day." I rubbed my cheek into hers, "I'm sorry."

"Doesn't she have parents?"

"I am told they have taken their first vacation together since Shining Armor was born. They will be gone for another week at least, something about Haywaii and drinks with little umbrellas."

Stars deflated with a heavy sigh and relaxed her weight into me. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the smallest change in her face I doubt any other pony would have seen it past the tattoos. There was a sadness that I had never seen before. Before I could say anything her lips twisted into an evil smile, "how long has it been since our last game?"

"Did you bring the board?"

"No, I left it here last time." Her horn lit up as she pulled the bottom left drawer open. I cringed in anticipation of the squeal that never came. The familiar lined board and two toned bags floated onto the top of the desk. Stars moved from behind me and positioned herself on the other side of the desk. She lifted a single black stone from the similarly colored bag. It hung above the board for a moment before floating back towards her, another evil smile played across her features, "why don't we make this game a little more interesting?"

My mind went to those places that it only ever went when Stars was around. I couldn't keep the stupid grin off my lips, "That depends, what did you have in mind?"

"If I win... you have to participate in P.T. tomorrow."

My face fell, "I... I..." I felt my eyes light up, "okay, and if I win you have to smile at and compliment your recruits during P.T. tomorrow." It was finally her turn to be caught off guard, "it's not that hard, just a smile here, a few words of encouragement there, it could be fun." For the first time ever her glare didn't faze me, I just smiled. She stuck her hoof across the table and I met it with mine. The first stone hit the board.

It took us almost ten minutes to set up our opening moves. The first moves are some of the most important, they can be the deciding factor between two experienced players. The most devious traps are based around these moves and a misstep here can be devastating.

My eyes were locked onto the board as I considered my next move, the white piece hanging silently in the air. "Gah!" I sprang away from the hoof tapping my flank.

The surprise on Miss Sparkles face turned to amusement as she giggled behind a hoof, "Spike is awake and I don't know where his snacks are."

My eyes shifted over to the cushion and sure enough the diminutive dragon was sitting up looking wide eyed at the three of us, the spear tip of his tail firmly in place between his toothless gums. I nodded and looked over at the Arch-Magi smiling apologetically. Trotting over to a small green and purple bag I retrieved the long sapphire that the Princess had provided. Spike eyed the gem as it floated through the air. Letting his tail fall to the ground he snagged the gem out of my grasp the moment it was within reach. He cooed happily around the stone as he sucked on it.

That would keep him occupied for awhile, now I just had to come up with some way to handle Miss Sparkle. I turned back to see her reared up with her fore-hooves on the desk staring intently at the game board. She turned to me with a slight frown, "I don't get it, it looks like Checkers but that can't be right."

"You are very right, Miss Sparkle, it is not Checkers. Though I can understand where that impression might come from."

"So what is it?"

"It is known as 'Stones' here in Equestria, I believe the Zebras call it 'Go'."

"Can you teach me to play?" she nearly bounced at the idea of learning something new.

I sighed,_ there goes the rest of my day_, "Of course, you don't mind Arch-Magi?" her blank expression didn't give me anything to work with, "I'll take that as a no."

Sitting once again before the board Miss Sparkle climbed my back and made herself comfortable on my shoulders. She took advantage of her new view and studied the board. I reclaimed my discarded stone and laid it down carefully before I began. "The rules are fairly simple, Miss Sparkle. On each players turn they place a single stone on the board. When a set of stones are completely surrounded by the stones of the other color, like where I just placed my white stone, the surrounded stones are removed from the board." The six black stones lifted off the board in a blue field. "The goal is to control the majority of the board once there are no more spaces left to place a stone."

The game proceeded with an amazing lack of questions from a particular lavender unicorn. Either she was content to simply watch as we took our turns placing stone after stone on the board or she was too tired to think of any questions. Up to this point the game had been a wash, neither of us managing to get much of a foot hold. The only noise in the room was the contented suckling of Spike on his gemstone. That remained true until I saw my opportunity and placed another stone.

"Mr. Chronicle, why did you put that stone there?" Miss Sparkle asked, with a note of concern in her voice.

"That would be telling, Miss Sparkle." I said, unable to keep a small bit of laughter out of my voice. The Arch-Magi's face didn't alter in the slightest as she studied the board. Anypony who didn't know better would think that she had missed our exchange.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Spike move around on all fours exploring the room. The sapphire, now about half the size it used to be, still poking out of his mouth.

At the soft click of stone on wood I turned my attention back to the game. Immediately spotting the new black stone I had to repress a smile, perfect. I levitated my next stone and held it in the air. One lesson I had learned well from the pony sitting across from me was to never let your opponent know that you had a plan. After about thirty seconds of inaction I placed the stone.

I returned my attention to the baby dragon padding around the room. I saw his eyes light up as he quickly shuffled towards one of the small side tables along the walls. My eyes tracked his path to a small table that held a single book with a red-orange bar on the cover.

Miss Sparkle tapped me on the head to bring my attention back to the game. The Arch-Magi had moved right where I wanted her to. I didn't hesitate this time as I placed my next stone and turned back to the dragon.

He stood up on wobbly legs so he could reach on to the table. His little claw picked the red stripe off the top of the book. He held the feather up, mezzmerized at the way it seemed to glow. My heart leapt into my throat and I started to call out. Before the words could begin to form on my tongue his mouth opened and pulled in a sharp breath.

**AAACHOOO!**

I blinked. I blinked again. I felt dizzy, like the entire room was shifting around me. Somepony said my name as a weight rolled off my shoulders and down my back..A hoof pressed gently to my cheek and turned my head. Stars was there. Her mouth moved, but I couldn't hear her. I wondered why she looked worried. I tried to comfort her, but there was a lump in my throat. Her hoof gently wiped some moisture from the corner of my eye. That was odd, I didn't remember crying recently. She leaned in, nuzzling me, and whispered something in my ear. I tried to respond again, to ask her what was wrong, but the lump in my throat wouldn't let me.

Miss Sparkle walked behind Stars, my eyes followed her as she picked up the surprised dragon. She wrapped her fore-hooves around him as she sat down and pulled him in close to comfort him. My mind reeled at the sight, tears were beginning to form in his eyes as he shook heavily.

My entire body shook as I gasped. Had I been holding my breath? Tears began to pour down my cheeks. Why was I crying? I gasped and shook again. I knew something was wrong.

I tried to step towards the foals, but Stars was holding me. Why was she just sitting there? I wasn't sure what it took to make a baby dragon to cry, but I was sure that we needed to do something about it. He grasped one of his claws and held it up to Miss Sparkle. She kissed the blackened talons. He must have burnt himself somehow, but there weren't any candles here.

A red-orange feather floated before my eyes. I reached out for it as it burst into a green flame that disappeared through the balcony door.

All my thoughts froze on that single image. The world stopped moving, my vision cleared, I bit down hard as blood rushed to my face. I struggled against Stars' grip, trying to pull away from her. She held me firm, whispering words I could not hear. A growl reverberated in my throat as I reached out to the creature. I raged as something stopped my magic.

"Miss Sparkle, it would behoove you to remove your dragon from this room." Stars spoke with the commanding voice of the Arch-Magi. I watched as the little filly quickly stood and carried the reptile out the door.

I rode an ebbing wave of emotions as Stars did her best to soothe me. The depression and anger slowly melted away leaving me with a worn and drawn out feeling. It was minutes before I was able to form a coherent thought. We sat for a time, neither of us speaking a word. Our day was over, all thoughts beyond sleep had been crushed under the emotional strain of the past hours.

The door opened to reveal a pegasus guard, "Mr. Chronicle, the Princess would speak with you in her study." I turned to the Arch-Magi to see her nod in affirmative to the guard.

We set a slow pace through the halls, not for lack of trying on the guard's part. I stared blankly ahead as we made our way, doing my best not to think. For her part, Stars was the pillar of stoic silence that I had grown accustomed to when in the presence of others. I tried to take comfort in that, but found little.

When we approached the study our escort knocked softly on the door. The Princess' voice carried clearly through the heavy wood, "let them in."

I stepped through the threshold and froze. On the near edge of her desk was a red-orange feather that almost seemed to glow on its own. Ignoring all formality I cleared the distance and lifted the quill to my eyes. I frantically examined the calamus, searching, hoping. There it was, the tiny engraving that meant so much, _964 C.R. Phoenix Prize - Inkdrop_.

The Princess smiled, "I'm at a loss, Mr. Chronicle, to explain how your quill came to be on my desk. Would you care to hazard a guess?"

I struggled to put the pieces together in a way that made even the slightest bit of logical sense. Before I could begin to form an answer there was another knock at the door, "Urgent message, your majesty!"

"Come in," answered the Princess. The door opened to reveal the rusty pegasus with a scroll held lightly in his mouth. He quickly stepped up to the desk and put the rolled up paper in front of her.

She frowned slightly as she inspected the scroll. Breaking the seal she lifted it in a golden glow and unrolled it. I watched with concern as her frown deepened the more she read. Without a word she passed the scroll to me. I took it tentatively and began to read.

"This is a good thing, right?" I asked.

"I... do not know." Three blank parchments floated to her desk and three separate quills began to write out messages, "Zipp, I need you to deliver these immediately! Stars, I am sorry, but you will need to cut your vacation short. I need you to begin mobilizing, we have to get ahead of this before it gets out of control. I will have your orders soon." The quills stopped moving as the scrolls rolled up. A golden bar of wax rose from a drawer. She pressed the tip on each scroll to seal it. As the bar pulled away the royal seal was already in place. The scrolls wafted through the air to Zipp, "go now, both of you."

Zipp bowed before snapping the scrolls from the air and exiting in an orange streak. The Arch-Magi saluted the Princess. Stars gave me an apologetic look as she turned and left the office. I continued to reread the scroll I was holding, desperately trying to figure out how to get ahead of something that had to have happened more than three days ago.

_Princess Celestia,_

_The Emperor is dead! Killed in full view of the court by his youngest son._

_The Duke entered the hall with a contingent of the royal guards at his back. He demanded the Emperor step down and secede his rule back to the clans. The Emperor laughed at this show of hubris and called for the guards to take the upstart away. They stood stoic, making no move to comply. _

_The Duke then turned to those of us gathered and spoke to the assembled griffons. I dare say his words were beautiful, if frightening in their implications. He spoke of a corruption tainting the soul of the griffons. Of the sorrows felt by underclasses. He spoke of glories past and a desolate future that awaited them if nothing changed. He spoke of Tribes and Clans and a future that could be saved only by cutting away the chaff. Of bonds that ran deep within their very souls that had been left to rot by the folly of his ancestors. Predators could not live the same as prey, the violence in their soul demanded blood. But to survive they must focus and contain it. A 'Violent Peace' he called it._

_The Emperor struck first, attacking his son with beak and talon. I saw the Emperor's corpse bleeding and broken at the foot of his throne. I fled and have been in hiding. I have only just managed to get this message out to you._

_The Aerie is in chaos. The Emperor's children are fighting amongst themselves as the Lords and Ladies either flee to their homes and hide or move to seize power for themselves._

_I am working to secure safe passage for my family, but I shall remain and endeavour to send word as I am able._

_Your Faithful Subject,_

_Legate_

(edited by the wonderfully talented Inkiepie)


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: A Scribe and Duty**

We did not have to wait long for the first pony to arrive. Tenpenny was an earth pony, white by coat with a brown mane full of gray hairs with a tally count on his slight limp of his right hind leg was the only hindrance to his otherwise precise movements as he entered the room and bowed to the Princess. In the same movement he placed an over stuffed folder on the floor at his hooves.

"Your Grace, I have received your summons and have brought you the documents requested. Though I feel somewhat in the dark as to why they would be necessary at this time."

"Thank you, Tenpenny, all will be revealed once the others have arrived. Until then, please, sit."

"Your Grace," he replied, performing another off tilt bow. Seating himself he graced me with a small nod, which I returned in kind.

There was some small animosity between us. It was my understanding that he had yet to come to terms with me occupying a position that he felt was due himself. This belief led him to provided a number of minor difficulties for me during my first year, enough to cause a small confrontation that only served to solidify the and mutualize the feelings. When the issues suddenly stopped a few months later I was more than a little surprised. He still treated me with mild contempt whenever we were forced to interact, but I could not begrudge him that, as long as it did not interfere with our work.

It was a quiet few minutes as we waited for the other ponies to show up. My mind, however, was still very much stuck on the problem at hoof. I knew that the Princess had had plans to deal with the griffins set up and ready to be enacted. I knew these plans involved the possibility of a civil war amongst the griffins. What I didn't know was how or even if these events had changed things. For all I know this had been the plan all along. Though that didn't seem lineup with the way the Princess had acted upon reading the letter, of course that could be a feint. I was beginning to dislike politics.

I was startled from my thoughts by another knock at the door. I couldn't hide my surprise at the pony who stepped, almost shyly, into the room.

"Mi Amora," the Princess smiled, "thank you for coming."

"Cadance, please, Aunt Celestia."

"Of course.. Cadance."

"Your letter was a little vague -"

Another knock cut her off. The Princess shifted her gaze to the door. "Come in, please."

The door opened slowly as a butter yellow mane squeezed into the room. She turned to reveal a soft pink mare with her eyes cast to the ground. "Am I.. um, late?"

"No, dear, please come in," said the Princess. The pink pegasus stepped in, never raising her head and sat down against the wall as far away from everypony else. The Princess smiled warmly at her before turning to face us all. "I apologize for the vagueness of the letter, but we must act as quickly and as silently as possible. The Griffin Empire is no more."

The Princess paused, allowing everypony to react and take in the news. Cadance eyes widened in complete surprise as she put a hoof to her lips, whispering under her breath. Tenpenny looked down at the folders at his hooves, I could almost see his mind connecting the dots as realization dawned behind his eyes. It was the reaction of the sheepish pink mare, however, that surprised me the most. She quickly flipped her mane to hide her face from the rest of the room, but before it completed its course I am sure that I saw a small smile on her lips.

The Princess' eyes flickered over to the mare for a bare fraction of a second. "Our armies are already mobilizing to secure our borders and handle the inevitable flood of refugees. However, this will not be enough. We have deep ties to the Griffin Empire that will be damaged, some beyond repair, by these events. In order to secure the stability and future of Equestria we must salvage everything we can.

"Tenpenny, it is time to begin digging into our reserves. We should be able to make up the difference in imports for the next six months before enacting austerity measures."

The old pony nodded in affirmation of her statement. "Yes, your Grace. That will quickly drain our reserves, however. After the initial six months, even with austerity, we will not have another two years before the coffers run dry. Re-establishing a steady trade must be our primary concern."

"Yes," the Princess said, turning to her niece. "Cadance, I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I need you to act as a diplomat and negotiator with the griffin tribes. It is important that we help the griffin people through their time of trouble. Your primary concern will be to help them find stability by re-establish trade as soon as possible. They need our goods as much as we need their gold and ore." Cadance nodded along with her aunts words. "You will need to speak with as many of the Tribes that you can and secure trade agreements with them and, if possible, peace agreements between with the other tribes. War serves nopony and civil war less so.

"I will not be sending you out alone. Captain Armor," Cadance's eyes widened slightly, "will lead a contingent of the Guard as an escort during your trip."

"But Shining is only a Lieutenant."

"Then perhaps you would like to be the first to give him the good news," the Princess said. "I will also be sending Mrs. Summer Eve to assist you." She nodded to the pink pegasus, "She is the foremost expert on griffin culture and is fluent in many of their dialects." I blinked in surprise as Summer seemed to cower under the sudden scrutiny of those present. My experience with griffins was limited, but they didn't seem like they would have anything but contempt for such timidity. "You will be supplied with more detailed instructions before you leave. Are there any questions?" When no pony spoke up she nodded and added. "Then I suggest you begin packing, you need to be on your way as soon as equinely possible."

**==Chronicle==**

The sun began to peek through the balcony as I finished the last of my paper work. I laid down my quill next to the dry ink well and rubbed at my tired eyes. It was morning, and I had yet to find the time to sleep.

The meeting with the Princess had been the first of many. Group after group moved through the Princess' study. Each was informed of the situation and assigned tasks that ranged from controlling the release of information to the general public to missions that I could not begin to guess at the purpose of. It was hours later when the Princess sent me off to find and prepare all the necessary documents.

The Princess had been prepared, if not for this exact eventuality, for a similar possibilities and everypony was being tapped for extra duty. Half of the palace's messengers had been temporarily reassigned to facility communications with the outside and those who remained were being run ragged. With this in mind I decided to make the delivery myself and moved the papers to my saddlebags before hefting them across my withers.

I wound my way through the castle halls towards the Princess' study amid a chaos of ponies. My weariness slowed me down enough that I couldn't even maintain a steady trot. My slow pace forced me to hug the wall or risk being trampled under hoof by the ponies rushing to see their tasks completed. The level of activity only increased as the sun moved through the sky. I doubt there was a single pony who wasn't in fear of drowning under the mountain of work that was being laid at their hooves.

The congestion and press of bodies began to get to me and my already tired breathing became labored. The first fraying edges of a panic I had thought I left behind began to show. Without real conscious thought I began to search for a way out. My eyes \ frantically scanned the walls for a door that would take me away from the crowded halls. I didn't hesitate to step through the first one to present itself.

As the door closed behind me I closed my eyes and steadied myself. When my breathing had calmed down and the sharp edge of panic dulled I allowed myself to peer at my new surroundings. The open sky, still tinted orange from the rising sun, contrasted the greens of the vegetation and the shining white of the marble statuary. I sighed in relief, though it was still not my ideal situation, I was more comfortable with the openness than with the press and confusion of the halls.

I began to move among the statues, though the path was longer I knew that I could avoid most of the hallways on my way to the Princess' study. It had been a long time since I walked through the statue garden. Even as tired as I was the power of the statues couldn't be ignored.

I had had the unfortunate task of attending modern art shows with the Princess over the years. The sculptures and painting on display at those events paled in comparison to the masterworks that filled this courtyard. I don't believe the difference was based on the skill of the artist at work, rather it was their attitude towards the audience. It was explained to me that the goal of modern art was to present a piece that everypony could view and take away their own meaning. It isn't that that is an ignoble goal, rather the artist are allowed to feel as though any failure of success is on the part of the viewer rather than the artist.

The statues that filled the garden were more of a classical nature. For each one there was a set response or idea that the artist had set out to capture or instill in his audience. Thus the success of the piece lay at the hooves of the artist. If the audience failed to come away with the intended understanding than he or she had not accomplished their task. Each of these statues had succeeded to the point that even the fillies and colts who came here on field trips were usually able to understand the heart of the work.

I stepped around the statue of 'Victory' and froze. Sitting before the statue that represented chaos was the Princess. Her head was tilted back as she seemed to be glaring at the mismatched creature set in stone. She wore a frown deeper than I had ever seen on her before. Tensed and at the ready, she looked about to attack the marble form.

After a moment her glare softened and she visibly relaxed, though her frown remained and her eyes never strayed from their target. "Mr. Chronicle, you look like you have been up all night."

"Yes, your Majesty." I said, bowing slightly before closing the distance between us. "I was just on my way to deliver the reports you requested."

Her frown softened slightly, "You must take better care of yourself, Mr. Chronicle. I need your mind sharp and that means you must sleep on occasion." Without turning she patted the grass at her side with a forehoof. Too tired to protest I sat beside her and looked up at the statue. Something about the patchwork creature carved in marble tugged at the corners of my mind, though I couldn't put a hoof on it. "I still owe you the story of Discord don't I?" the Princess asked.

At the mention of the name my mind was drawn back to a stained glass window in a long hall. Images of impossible things displayed in the bright multicolored glass centered around a being in the exact pose of the statue on before me.

"This is the oldest of the gardens statues. The original if I am to be honest. Most ponies don't know his story, much less that he actually existed in the first place. I'm partially to blame for that, I didn't encourage the preservation of his memory.

"Discord was a being of incredible power. Whether the power corrupted his mind or he was always insane I will never know. He was chaos incarnate. His simple presence caused bizarre happenings. He appeared to be a creature of omnipotence, able to warp reality to his whim. The sun and moon were his play thing, rising one minute only to fall seconds later. He could do most anything he wished with little more than a thought and a snap of his talon or paw..."

**==Chronicle==**

I resisted the return of consciousness. Fighting against the creeping sensations pushing at my dreams. I refused to open my eyes, too content in the warmth filling my being. Even as I struggled I knew that the battle was done, the act of resisting sounding the death knell of my dreams. Still I fought, sinking deeply into the warmth that surrounded me.

The shock of the shifting and tightening around me brought an end to the war as my eyes popped open. I flinched as the world crashed through the last of my mental defenses. The legs wrapped around my chest squeezed just a little tighter and everything fell into place.

I was in my room. Midday light entered through the small window, illuminating the sparse apartment. The pink legs pulling me tightly against her chest could only belong to one mare.

I turned, putting us muzzle to muzzle. Her eyes shined in the dim light, a mischievous smile spreading across her lips. We lay silently holding each other for a time. When I finally made to speak she interrupted. Words were not necessary, they would only get in the way.

It was sometime later when Stars rolled off the mattress. The soft impact of her hooves across the rugs that populated the floor were the only sounds besides my own breathing and the beat of my heart. With the meticulous care of a lifetime of repetition she began to dawn her uniform.

We both knew that this was it. For duty's sake our own feelings had to be set aside. Saying the words would only bring pain. Life was full of enough cruelties, large and small, to inflict them on oneself was foalish. Still, I found I couldn't remain silent. To simply let this pass, to let it go unchallenged, to not put up a fight no matter how hollow, I could not do it.

"Silent-"

She cut me off with a look. I had seen many things in her face over the years. The feigned disinterest that she wore as just another piece of her uniform, the stern glare of command that caused battle hardened warriors to step back, the calm rage that made them cower. In the times that we were alone I witnessed what others never would. I saw the tenderness and love that no other pony would ever see. I saw her, Silent Stars, the mantel of Arch-Magi set aside. On rare occasions I saw the pain that she never spoke of, even to me.

I had never seen pleading. Her eyes willed me to remain silent, to spare her the pain of what neither of us could change. I don't know which course was the more noble path, nor do I pretend to know which was the right choice.

As silence reigned Stars returned to the bed. Stepping onto the mattress she stood over me looking down through sad eyes that I would do anything to see smile. Her lips pressed to mine and a single tear fell onto my cheek before I felt her magic flare above me.

I lay alone in my bed, the ghost of a kiss still on my lips. It took me an hour to find the will to move.

The world didn't wait on ponies and the Princess would need me.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: A Scribe Reminisces

Light from the open balcony burned away the darkness behind my eyelids making me cringe out of whatever dreams I had been having. Picking my head off the ancient desk took a great deal more effort than it should have. With a wide yawn I leaned back on my hind quarters and stretched out my forelegs, creaks and pops echoing across my body.

Finally opening my eyes I tried to blink away the haze filling my vision. It was a full minute before I realized my glasses had fallen off in my sleep. I had to squint to find the discarded visual aids. Lifting them in a field of magic I dropped the bent frames onto my muzzle. I blinked as the world came into sharp focus.

It's an odd sensation, getting old. You don't realize it's happening at first. Sure that first gray hair is a shocker, but it quickly passes as more begin to appear without any other noticeable change. Fading vision is a more subtle thing. It's always somepony else who points out the squinting and the leaning in or out to try and read a scroll. I think that was when I realized I was getting old.

The doctor sat me down with a lens wrapped in her magic. Subtle changes in the ebb and flow of the spell shifted my perception until she found that perfect fit. It wasn't until I finally put on my first pair of bifocals that I realized just how bad it had gotten. The day by day change had been so small that I hadn't realized I was already half blind. I spent the rest of that day putting them on and off, marvelling at the difference.

Most of the rest of me seemed to be falling apart bit by bit. My knees and elbows ached every morning as I got out of my cold bed, on the days I even made it back to my bed. My back is stiffer than a board most days and I have to bend backwards over a table to force it to relax.

Still, I had to count myself lucky. My hearing was still top notch and my mind was as sharp as ever. The Princess indulged me in a game of Stones every now and again. I don't know why I kept trying, I've never managed to be enough of a challenge to draw a fraction of her attention. After enough bugging I convinced the Commandant to play. He has proved an interesting opponent, I even let him win on occasion to keep him interested.

My eyes fell on the last document I had been reading. The most recent report from the Aerie. Our initial response had been to bring stability to the eastern regions of griffin territory. The strongholds therein were both militarily significant and economically vital. Princess Cadance, with the help of Miss Eve, was able to quickly secure trade pacts with the griffins who had risen to power amongst the chaos.

Most of those tribes had maintained their militaristic and tribal structures through the years due to the prevalence border skirmishes with hostile creatures. They quickly recovered from the upheaval and went back to guarding their borders.

The Northern and Western regions were another matter altogether. The over populated cities devolved into hotbeds of violence and rebellion. The aristocratic system that so mimicked ours fell to pieces.

At first there didn't seem to be any sides to the conflicts. Slowly groups began to form. Mobs of griffins became rudimentary gangs. The gangs grew or died out until only a few full fledged tribes formed. It seemed like the anarchy was coming to an end as the old order was restored. Unfortunately that was just the calm before the storm.

Too many tribes were shoved into too small of a space. What had started out as little more than a chaotic shift in the power structure became multiple small civil wars as the tribes battled for dominance of the key resources in the mountain cities.

The Princess' quick and ready response to this crisis saved Equestria from what could have been a devastating blow to our economy. The trade agreements and the release of the reserves kept prices for goods from raising. There was a short time, about nine months in, were it looked like the Princess would have to declare a state of austerity to ensure the preservation of resources until a new source could be found. Three days before she would have signed the order a shipment came from Winter Rock.

I looked up at the sound of a hoof striking the outside of my door. "Come in."

The door opened for a unicorn mare. Her soft green mane, heavily streaked with gray, was done up in a tight bun. A dark gray dress covered her a light orange, almost yellow, coat. Sharp angled glasses gave her a severe look to her tight face, like a school teacher who would never be impressed by anything that her students turned in.

"Mr. Chronicle? Are you coming?"

I blinked at her and adjusted my glasses, "I'm not sure I follow, Mrs. Juniper"

She huffed and took a few more steps into my office, "Court, Mr. Chronicle. In ten minutes."

==Chronicle==

I stood before the nobles, the voice of the Princess. My word was as good as law, at least until she returned. I stood at the base of her throne looking out at the gathered ponies checking the angle of the sun every chance I got, hoping that it the Princess had decided to turn in early for the night. I was never so lucky.

Immediately to my left the Foreign Minister smiled demurely at the crowd. She was a surprisingly young unicorn mare with a white coat and soft pink mane. This was not her first day, though I had not had the opportunity to properly introduce myself at the time. Much to my discomfort we did not seem to share the same definition of what constituted personal space and I continually found myself leaning away from her.

Tenpenny stood to her other side stoically avoiding recognizing my existence as much as he was able. Our relationship had taken a few unfortunate steps in the wrong direction recently. There was a reason I don't let ponies borrow my books.

Nightrunner looked drawn. Even his glamour couldn't hide the deep wrinkles and gray mane. Any other pony would have retired years previous, but it would take a direct order from the Princess to dislodge him from his post.

"Am I boring you, Councilor?" asked the haughty mare standing a few pony lengths down from my spot on the dias.

I blinked at her, taking in her lace and frill laden dress. I considered my response carefully for a moment before I answered in a fit of pique. "Yes, you are. The Council has more important matters to discuss than... whatever it was you were speaking about." I ignored her look of indignation, addressing the rest of the ponies present. "If there is nothing more... court is adjourned."

Before anypony could stop me I turned to the exit and began to trot out of the hall. I could hear the shifting of Nightrunner's armor as he struggled to contain his amusement. The foreign minister gave me a look that I couldn't decipher as I passed her by. But it was Tenpenny's barely restrained rage that I cherished.

I knew I would pay for this. No matter how much sway I carried with the Princess she wouldn't be able to let me slid on this one. I had broken protocol and insulted important ponies. A public reprimand was certain, though that might not be the end of it. An apology to the mare, reparations of some kind. On the other hoof Nightrunner would probably be stopping by to congratulate me.

It wasn't my first such outburst, but it was definitely my most public. That they were becoming more frequent was not lost on me. I was having a hard time caring, however. In all honesty I was having difficulty caring about much of anything really. I had never been the most involved stallion, but there were still the things that I normally found joy in doing. The worst part was knowing the why and being unable to do anything about it.

"Monsieur Chronical?"

"AH!" I jumped away, almost hitting a protruding column. My heart pounded as I pressed a hoof to my chest attempting to keep it from escaping. "Don't..." I gasped, trying to bring my breathing back under control. "Please don't sneak up on me like that."

"I am sorry, Monsieur Chronical, I did not intend to startle you."

Using my magic to readjust my glasses I looked over at the unicorn mare beside me. The foreign minister's light violet eyes looked at me with obvious concern. I gave her a small smile as I returned to my more collected posture.

"There is no need to apologize, I was lost in my thoughts and paying little attention to the rest of the world. Miss..." I faltered, reminded that I did not actually know her name.

"De'lis," she offered with a nod, "Fleur De'lis."

"Miss De'lis," I said, bowing my head, "how may I be of service?"

Continuing down the hall, we moved at a sedate pace as she spoke. "I am just curious, Monsieur Chronicle." Her face scrunched up as she struggled for words. "You ended the court early and insulted Madam Prim. I... I do not understand."

I was quiet for a few paces, trying to find an adequate response to her concerns. I eventually let out a heavy sigh, saying, "It was rather silly of me. The Princess will have words with me I am sure. But it is nothing for you to be concerned with."

"Do you wish to speak about it?"

I blinked up at the young mare beside me. "Excuse me?"

She smiled nervously. "I am sorry, Monsieur Chronical, I do not mean to offend. You seem... how do you say... déprimé... not happy."

I turned away, focusing on the path ahead of me. "What makes you say that, Miss De'lis?"

"Your eyes."

"My eyes?"

I caught the small motion of her head nodding at the edge of my vision. "Oui. Your eyes are very... triste, without joy."

"Sad? My eyes look sad?"

"Oui. Sad, very sad."

I wanted to rebut her claims, but I found no energy to do so. Instead I simply nodded a few times before responding. "I suppose I am... triste."

"Why?"

I missed a step and almost hit another column, we had been moving closer and closer to the wall as we walked. I corrected our path, doing my best to not step away from the mare as she saddled up far closer to me than I was comfortable with.

I should not have been surprised at the question, it was the logical follow up, but it still caught me off guard. "That is a rather personal question, Miss De'lis."

"I am sorry, Monsieur Chronical. I do not mean to-"

"No, it's... it's alright. I guess most ponies around here know and simply don't bring it up. I try not to think about it much." My eyes scanned the carpet as though I could find solace in the plush fibers. "Do you have somepony, Miss De'lis? A special somepony?"

"Non. I have not been long in Canterlot, many of la poneys here are..." she frowned, "not what I had expected."

A ghost of a smile touched my lips and I had to fight the urge to ask the questions I already knew the answer to. "I am sure you will meet one to your standards, Miss De'lis. I did... or, rather she found me. You see, until we met I had been content with my life as it was..."

I continued to speak as we walked, telling her about Stars and myself. I recited the time we spent together and the things we would do. The lack of variance between many of the different memories did not seem to bother Fleur as she smiled at me, nodding along and interjecting with small comments and the occasional question.

I had not expected it to be so easy, recalling these memories. It should have been difficult, it should left tears in my eyes as I remembered all the little details that sprang up as I told my story. There were no tears, I did not have to fight down sobs or struggle to find my voice. To my surprise I was smiling. Each word that passed my lips lightened my heart like I was finally setting aside stones that I had been carrying around for no reason other than to torture myself.

I sat behind my desk, Fleur De'lis opposite me. "... that was almost five years ago. The Princess keeps me informed, but we have had no real communication since then." My eyes drifted to the far edge of my desk and the two black and white stones sitting side by side. "Tell me, Miss De'lis, have you ever played Stones?"


End file.
